In order to teach writing effectively, teachers must be writers themselves. They must experience the same uncertainty of starting a new draft and then struggling to revise. As they learn to move past the fear of failure, they discover the nervous rush and exhilaration of sharing work with an audience, just as their students do. Only by engaging in the real work of writing can teachers become part of the writing community they dream of creating for their students.
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Author Bio
Kate Messner received her bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University and spent seven years as a television news producer and on-air reporter before returning to her family's passion of teaching. "I grew up in a family of educators, but it took me a little time to find my way to the field," Kate says. "Somehow I felt the classroom was calling me, so I went back to school to get my teaching degree." Kate's been teaching middle school English in Plattsburgh, New York, since 1996.