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Teachers & Writers Collaborative: Insights from the Director and Editor

Leading an Organization of Increasing Importance

by Katharine Zurek

For Amy Swauger, Director of Teachers & Writers Collaborative(T&W), the commitment to providing all children access to creative writing started with her own childhood interactions with literature. Growing up, the wall of Swauger’s dining room was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and she made weekly trips to the library. Her father was a museum administrator who did his research and writings at home on the weekends. “I think he gave me the idea that writing could be something that a person enjoyed doing, that it didn’t have to be a chore or something you do only if you’re required to,” Swauger said.

Before coming to T&W, Swauger worked for more than 20 years in Washington D.C. After earning degrees in print journalism and political science at American University, Swauger began her career at a political committee that supports progressive women candidates. She then held multiple leadership positions at the American Association of University Women and after that, ran the Washington Independent Writers trade association for a short time. Ten years ago, she came to New York City to become executive director of the National Academy of Education, but when the organization moved its offices to D.C., Swauger decided to stay in New York.

Though all of her jobs have involved a significant amount of writing, Swauger does not consider herself a writer. She does consider herself fortunate to be part of T&W, however, telling me, “I feel lucky to be with an organization that has such a long history of making a positive impact on education through both direct service and providing resources to support creative writing education across the county.”

T&W has been doing just that since 1967. Since its founding, T&W has placed professional writers, or teaching artists, in public schools to teach creative writing in the classroom as well as in after school programing.

For T&W teaching artists, workshops are all about creativity, collaboration, and flexibility. “T&W doesn’t have a set of curriculum for our programs,” Swauger told me. “Instead,” she continued, “each program is individually designed by the teaching artists and must be willing to be collaborative and flexible in response to the needs of a school’s educational goals for its students.” Many teaching artists collaborate with public school teachers to give students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of specific subject areas. According to Swauger, projects have included “odes to the ozone layer; The Colonial Times, a newspaper reporting on the Jamestown famine; [and] Ben Franklin’s newest invention.”

T&W currently has 50 teaching artists on its roster; all of which have publication credits and experience teaching at the K–12 level. “T&W also seeks writers with very specific skills and experience who can help us to meet particular needs of the schools in which we work,” Swauger told me. Many T&W writers are experts in teaching creative writing to students with special needs, and many are pros in teaching English language learners.

Along with workshops for students, T&W teaching artists put on professional development workshops for teachers that provide strategies for motivating their students in writing and revision. In addition to workshops, there are many resources available for educators through Teachers & Writers Magazine, one of T&W’s 80 books about teaching creative writing, and a variety of online resources available through T&W’s Digital Resource Center. Many of T&W’s resources focus on ways to implement into the classroom the Common Core State Standards, measurements of success for public education, that have been adopted by 46 states.

Susan Karwoska, Teachers & Writers Magazine Editor, is excited about her magazine’s new series, “Creative Writing and the Common Core.” “The idea behind the series is that including creative writing in the curriculum nurtures student passion and creativity—and that the excitement this generates is key to student learning,” Karwoska explained. “We want to show that the demands of the Common Core do not have to drive out creativity—on the contrary! Creativity is the key to helping students meet these standards,” she said.

Swauger explained why her organization’s work is becoming increasingly important after the mass adoption of Common Core State Standards. “The new standards require students to read informational texts and write work that reflects understanding of what they have read, as well as synthesizing information from a variety of sources and crafting written arguments drawing on text evidence,” she said.

The Core Standards pose challenges for students and teachers alike. Swauger described these challenges, telling me, “These requirements pose significant challenges for students who do not have a strong interest in writing and who struggle with the increased emphasis on demonstrating learning through writing; and for teachers who have not been trained to teach writing, but who are now expected to design lessons that include writing assignments and to assess the quality of students’ written work.”

Through its workshops, publications, and resources, T&W is providing answers to the challenges of implementing the Common Core. For Karwoska, creating a magazine series that addresses creative writing and the Common Core has personal significance. As a young student, she thrived on using her imagination in the classroom. Karwoska described herself as a “shy, dreamy student in crowded baby-boom classes.” She was often lost in thought during math lessons, but became alive and focused when she was encouraged to write a story or poem. Karwoska recalled the feelings she had when her creative writing was singled out for praise: “It was a feeling of recognition, a clear, happy sense of finding the place where I fit, where daydreaming and imagination were necessary, vital skills.”

From Karwoska’s previous experience as a teaching artist, she knows that many T&W workshop students feel the same sense of pride and belonging when they are given permission to imagine and create. “Kids who are strong writers enjoy our lessons, but so do struggling students, or indifferent ones, or even ones who claim to hate putting pen to paper,” she told me. “And for these students, as for me in my daydreaming days,” she concluded, “getting excited about writing can make all the difference in the world.” 

 

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Katharine Zurek graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English and Women's Studies.  She currently works in the social service field.  Please email krzurek@gmail.com with comments or questions.

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