CUWP 2012

I found out about The Central Utah Writing Project through an email one of the literacy specialists sent out to our district in March. I looked into some of the things people had said and knew it was something i wanted to be involved in this summer. I interviewed and was invited to participate. I was pretty nervous at first; I am not a confident writer. I am self conscious about writing, even writing in front of my second graders kills me. I feel like I have lost creativity and even writing personal narratives don't end up sounding the way I had hoped. There are roughly 20 people in CUWP this year and I can't believe the caliber of writers I get to work with. Those in charge have published books and articles, other teachers have the ability to use words in ways I had never thought possible. I know that I won't be that good, that practiced, without a focused effort on my personal writing so I am making a commitment to write more. Whether its personal writing, letters, emails, stories, poems(not likely), whatever, I am going to make a focused effort on writing more. I have made it half way through the class and can already see the effect it has had on my writing. I have learned to trust the people I work with and am comfortable sharing what I have written with them. It didn't start that way, Day 1 was a shock. I listened to what people had written in our short scribble that morning and tried to sink as far as I could into my chair. I felt inadequate and that I didn't belong. I questioned what I was thinking when I signed up, what made me think I could do this, and why I thought it was such a good idea. Now looking back I feel I have been blessed tremendously in this experience. I have found people I connect with, people who understand me and my sense of humor, and are willing to help me develop. This is a great class and I have learned so much already and we still have 6 days left. For once in my life I am proud to share what I have written, excited to show my family and friends, and feeling successful. I know that the caliber of my writing is not the equivalent of my peers but I can see it developing and for that I am proud. I am excited to see where this class takes me, what it helps me discover about myself, and what things I can adapt to improve the writing of my students.