Shelea Boyd, August Ahrens Elementary School:
I am privileged to be a fellow in the Hawaiʻi Writing Project this summer. I am blown away at everything I have learned so far, being with Stephanie, Charlotte, and the rest of the teachers these few short weeks we’ve had together so far. Each class was packed with tangible takeaways, lessons, ideas, and strategies I can easily implement into my writing classroom this upcoming school year with my 5th graders! The HWP has impacted me tremendously as it has sparked a fire in me personally as a writer and has given me a deep passion to pass that love of writing to all those who are in my classroom! No longer do I see being a teacher of writing as teaching a formula to give a grade, but more so sharing ways to unlock creativity and expression with my students.
David Yung, Maunawili Elementary School:
Participating this summer in the Hawaiʻi Writing Project ISI was one of the best professional learning experiences I’ve had as a teacher. Every session, I took away practical research-based strategies I could apply in my classroom right away. The highlight of the summer was the demonstrations where we learned with and from our colleagues. I’m ready to use my new learning with my fifth graders this fall and look forward to sharing some of my learning with our faculty since writing is our school-wide targeted area of instruction as part of our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) process. I am appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the HWP this year!
Jill Sprott, Punahou School:
When I applied to the HWP Summer Institute, I did so with my fingers crossed, longing for a professional development experience that would invigorate and challenge me. The program definitely delivered! At every session and in every activity, the why and the how of writing and writing instruction remained central, uniting theory and practice in enlivening ways. The “teachers teaching teachers” aspect of the Institute was initially daunting to me, but it gave me just the push that I needed to explore an emerging area of interest (the use of AI to assist in the idea generation process), coached by knowledgeable and highly enthusiastic and supportive instructors. The peer-teaching focus also affirmed that regardless of whether we are English or math or social studies teachers, we are all writing teachers—and we are all writers. I’m heading into my twenty-sixth year of teaching feeling energized and hopeful, eager to continue to build—and to be a part of—a community of writers.
— Invitational Summer Institute Teacher Fellows —
