As a novice “researcher” myself, I am intrigued by this idea of writing research journal articles as a means teacher professional development. Even with my limited experience student teaching, my research for the annotated bibliography has thoroughly enriched my understanding of literacy development in urban classroom settings. This type of study is a wonderful way of pursuing areas of education in which I am personally invested and interested. It seems to be a great way to prevent oneself from getting stuck in a rut, professional and personal development.

Like many other English teachers, I also moonlight as a “writer.”  This type of writing will not only enhance my personal repertoire, but it will help me to continually reflect and discern my own teaching practices. Furthermore, this type of writing is a way to keep abreast the theoretical and pedagogical developments in education research.

In my graduate courses, I have heard time and time again how common it is for practicing teachers to disassociate from theoretical readings and methodology once they are swamped with the daily burdens of classroom teaching.  While it goes without saying that writing for publication is a time-consuming and extensive process, continuing this type of work, even incrementally, is a way for classroom teachers to continually adapt and grow within the field.  I often talk about the importance of teaching students the value in developing their own voice.  How is this different for us as educators? Just as students’ opinions, thoughts and experiences bring value to the classroom, so too may our own experiences and observations bring insight to our fellow educators.

Kate