Colleagues,
It has been one week since the group that convened in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for the New Frontiers in Reading and Writing in-person institute gathered for final reflections, and then headed off on our separate ways. I know that each of us is still carrying the glow from our time together. I'm reminded of that song that I used to sing decades ago, with my second graders, "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." We each left, carrying an extra bit of light.
The song continues, "Don't you try to poof it out, I'm going to let it shine," and I think we also left with resolve to make sure that the hard parts of this world don't blow out those embers. And we left confident that there are others to our right and our left, all across this globe, who are also working to be sure nothing gets in the way of youngsters being given opportunities to read and write in the service of their own important projects.
On that final day, Jezail Jackson said, "I'm struck by the fact that we all have different stories, and yet in so many ways, our stories are similar." One could feel the whole room nod, “Yes." One of the striking features of this institute was the sense of intimacy we developed, despite the fact that there were well over a hundred of us. Perhaps that was a result of this being a destination institute. We were together for breakfasts and lunches in the hotel, for hikes (well, sort of!), drinks (definitely), and dinners in lovely Portsmouth. There is something about getting caught in rain storms, dancing on the helm of a boat, soaking in the ambiance of Heinemann's home office, and being enthralled by each other's children that brings a community together.
It was important to know that none of us is an island (to harken back to yet another song!), but it was also important to agree on that, and then move forward about the business of learning together.
We all agreed that if the furor about the Science of Reading has taught us nothing else, it has taught us that we really, truly need to be 100% laser focused on kids who are failing to thrive. And certainly channeling those kids to all work in sync with whole-class, too-hard-texts is not the answer. But what IS the answer? What can we do with screeners that seem to be over-pathologizing our kindergarteners? What practical, doable solutions do we have for upper grade and middle school learners who, above all, are not the same, one to the next?
We were thunderstruck to experience the capacities of the AI tools integrated into the new Units of Study in Writing, 3-5. Twenty of us wrote personal narratives and then followed the instructions our fourth and fifth graders will soon get, uploading those drafts into the Unit of Study digital writing platform for feedback--and the responses blew us away. One of us got a response that went like this: "The story of your mother's sickness is heartbreaking and important. Thank you for writing this important story. The details about you and your sister, whispering to each other on the sidelines brought the whole story to life. I could picture the whole event and could understand your feelings. This is important work. Now you'll want to work on an ending. Remember it helps to ask, 'What's this story really about?' and to try several endings. I know you can do this!"
It was especially important to experience that together, as a group of school leaders, coaches and lead teachers, because we could reflect together on how to bring this new tool to our schools. We don't want AI to replace conferring, and so we had lots of conversations about how to use this tool with boundaries. In a similar way, we reflected on the extraordinary slides that accompany the new Units of Study in Writing--their power is the challenge, because of course it is so essential that teachers are encouraged to adapt units, and that's harder to do when there are compelling slides.
Meanwhile other groups learned about incorporating play in the classroom, building cohesive and engaging vocabulary instruction, writing for publication with the expertise of our partners at Heinemann, deep diving into decodable texts, and more.
By the time our week together was over, it was abundantly clear that we'd started a new tradition. We've already reserved the date for next year's in-person institute in Portsmouth. Be sure to save the dates for July 13-17, 2025. If you experienced FOMO this year--and you should have!--join us next year. We'll cap the size so that the institute, again, has magical intimacy.
Lastly, I would like to take a moment to appreciate the team at RWP-M for making this Institute possible. Their accessibility, nimbleness, and effective collaboration made the week enjoyable and memorable for all. To date, it’s been the most intimate and joyous institute of my life. For that, and for each of you, I am grateful.
Lucy
