2017 Third Coast Writing Project

Hello everyone, my name is Jake Crow and I'm an undergraduate at Western Michigan in the English: Secondary Education major. I have taught English 1000 here, and I've been working with writers of all sorts since my junior year of high school when I first started working at a writing center. I love talking about writing, and I'm incredibly excited to work with so many fantastic teachers from the area and to learn from all of you! I used to consider myself a heavy writer, but these days I'm not writing nearly as much as I used to, outside of assignments for classes. Some of these are greatly enjoyable as they connect with my interests in rhetoric, but many of these are simply papers I complete just to get credit for them. I am looking forward to this opportunity with TCWP because I think it's going to reignite my passion for writing and help me to refocus as I push towards my last couple semesters of college. I can't wait to see how this experience will impact m...

Hey everyone! My name is Vanessa Brower (soon it will be Vanessa Dodson) and I am currently wrapping up my sixth year teaching at Kalamazoo Central, seventh year teaching overall. I primarily teach 9th grade English, and I am always looking for ways to make writing more accessible for all students, not just the ones who "get it" or enjoy writing. As far as myself as writer - I can't say I see myself as much of one now, although I used to love it. All I write these days is lesson plans and project descriptions! I am a teacher leader in my building whether I want to be or not, simply because I've seen many people come and go in the English 9 subject area alone. As a result of this I'm constantly helping new colleagues get a better handle on the content and how to teach our texts. I can't wait to get to meet all of you, and I'm excited to participate in the TCWP.

My name is Alicia Wells, and I have taught English 11, Honors English 11, and English 9  at Paw Paw High School since 2014.  I also made a quick stop in 7th grade at the middle school for a semester. I am currently pursuing my M.Ed. in Literacy Studies at Grand Valley State University, and like to use that as an excuse for participating in the Third Coast Writing Project for my third year. However, that would sell my experience over the past two summers short. I was apprehensive to join TCWP in 2015, and am still finding my confidence as a writer. However, since I ask my students to do things that make them uncomfortable, it’s only fair that I experience the same challenges. My comfort and passion for English lies in literature and analytical writing, but listening to my students express how they crave a creative outlet, and reading their endless academic papers, I realized I needed to diversify my writing curriculum. I have since created a weekly writer’s workshop dedica...

Hello everyone! My name is Brianna English, and I teach AP Language and Composition, Honors English 11 (British Literature), and Yearbook at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo. I've been teaching there for my entire career, which will be six years in June; my prior experience (internships and fellowships) has been in Chicago Public Schools and Detroit Public Schools, mostly with eighth and ninth graders. When I heard about the Third Coast Writing Project, I was immediately interested because, while I love literature, I've always considered myself a teacher of writing more than a teacher of literature. My AP Language class is extremely writing intensive, but mostly focuses on more professional/academic writing (analysis, synthesis, and argument), so I'd love to learn some strategies for incorporating more creative non-fiction writing into the class. I love to teach grammar and vocabulary, but I'd also like to learn how to teach it more meaningfully and fully integrate...

Hello to everyone waiting for the Third Coast Writing Project 2017 to begin.  My name is Nancy Gaines, and I teaching at Otsego High School.  My recent teaching assignments have been AP Literature and Composition, American Literature (our 11th grade offering), and English 2 (our 10th grade offering).  Our English department is looking to more fully implement the Reading and Writing Workshop model, so my main interest in this group is focusing more on examining how my personal writing can help my students achieve success in their writing. Our district is heavily entrenched in the Professional Learning Community model, and I serve on the K12 Vertical English team, the Student Services committee, and the School Leadership Team.  Our school is participating in the Allegan AESA initiative for RtI, and I would like to explore how to incorporate writing into our intervention plans. In off hours, I'm an avid reader and cook, and reader of cookbooks.  I'm obsessed wi...

Hi Everyone, This will be my second year participating in Third Coast, and I can't wait for it to be here. I taught high school English for 10 years - mostly freshman and reading intervention courses - in a Chicago suburb where I also wore the hats of a literacy coach and reading specialist. Last summer, my husband and I decided to take a chance, uproot from our lives in Chicago, and move to Kalamazoo (to make a long story short). Since then, I've been finding my footing here, teaching as a part-time instructor at Western and ultimately deciding to pursue doctoral studies in English Education so I can be a teacher educator - something I was fortunate to experience and get really curious about while teaching future teachers in a methods course this past spring. I'm also a wrangler, chauffeur, laundress, cheerleader, event coordinator, chef, and life-skills teacher for my two rambunctious boys, ages 3 and 5. When they are at school or asleep, I can be found gardening, r...

Hey guys, A quick note about me and a test run for the blog. First, I am really excited! This summer is going to be fun, challenging, creative, focused on growth, and I know I already mentioned it, but fun! I teach English at Paw Paw High, mostly senior level AP Composition and college preparatory English, but I have also taught at least one freshman class of English for the last eleven years, too. My other experiences teaching include working as an English teacher in Japan in 2001-2, working as an instructional aid in Kindergarten at Kalamazoo Advantage Academy when it first opened, teaching English for Upward Bound at WMU, facilitating writing seminars for Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK), and most recently, I just finished a stint teaching creative writing at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home. I started doing Third Coast back in 2005 (2006?) and have only missed a few summers since then. Professionally speaking, it has been the most important component of my life. Hands down. ...