Cadillac High School teacher, Janet Neyer, has a poster in her classroom that reads, “It’s exciting when you’ve written something you know is good.” Since participating in the Chippewa River Writing Project (CRWP), she has felt that excitement every day in her classroom.
 
The CRWP is an affiliate of the National Writing Project (NWP), an organization with a network of sites anchored at colleges and universities, serving teachers across disciplines and at all levels. The program provides professional development to foster resources, generate research and act on knowledge to improve the teaching of writing and learning in schools. The CRWP was founded at Central Michigan University in 2009 and has continued to improve the teaching and learning of writing in Michigan’s schools and local communities.
 
For teachers participating in the CRWP, summer isn’t just time off -- it consists of classroom sessions, networking and fine-tuning teaching skills. CRWP participants dedicate extra time in the summer to ensure their students are receiving a top-notch education.
 
“Each writing project site is built around four pillars of work: the summer institute, professional development for teachers, continuity for project participants and youth programs,” said Troy Hicks, CRWP director.
 
Hicks first became involved with the writing project as a grad student at Michigan State University. Once he started working with CMU, he was able to put in an application to develop the CRWP.
 
The summer institute meets for three and a half weeks total for two 10 and a half hour sessions, a writing retreat, followed by seven hour classes for the remainder of the institute.
 
“The CRWP’s invitational summer institute is the kind of professional development that all teachers crave: useful, informative and relevant to what is currently going on in classrooms,” said Kimberly Gorman, CRWP participant.
 
Throughout the summer institute, teachers demonstrate lessons and receive participant feedback. They also maintain personal writing projects and a Teachers as Writers Blog. Beyond classroom skill building and gaining writing expertise, teachers find the networking and digital integration to be the most beneficial.
 
“The CRWP’s summer institute is unique among other NWP sites for its focus in digital literacy. At the institute, we are immersed in the methodology and technology of real writers and digital creators,” said Neyer.
 
CRWP launches classrooms into the 21st century. The digital components of the institute have even inspired teachers to go paperless. Several participants have implemented the use of Google Docs, Google Classroom and class-specific webpages to make information, assignments and worksheets available to students. This kind of digital integration helps students prepare for college and digital standardized testing formats.

Collaboration is key within the summer institute. Teachers often build relationships with colleagues and continue to grow professionally together through Google Hangout, conferences and events. Social media and email groups help CRWP participants stay connected and share ideas.
 
“Teaching can be a solitary profession and the CRWP has allowed me to connect with outstanding teachers across the state. Summer institute is pivotal, it’s the long-term connection and collaboration that is transformative for teachers,” said Neyer.
 
CRWP participants have a newfound appreciation for professional development after attending the summer institute. Teachers agree -- the professional development provided at the summer institute changes the dynamic of writing education in their classrooms.
 
“The world is changing quickly all around us. We cannot expect to stay on top of the changes without professional development. The students of today will be the world’s problem solvers in the future and if we do not keep current with our teaching, we put ourselves at a great disadvantage,” said Gorman.
 
CRWP participants witness their hard work during the summer, pay off in their classrooms throughout the school year.
 
“As a result of my participation with the CRWP, my students are better writers. In addition, peer and teacher feedback has improved due to the training I experienced at the summer institute,” said Neyer.
 
“It’s exciting when you’ve written something you know is good.” Neyer’s classroom poster illustrates CRWP participants excitement for reaching their personal writing goals and most importantly, the excitement they feel as their students achieve academic success.
 
The National Writing Project has several sites across the state of Michigan. To find your nearest affiliate, click here.