Continuity

Continuity offerings are designed to keep Teacher Consultants in touch with each other and with the project. If you’re a TC, we want you involved in the development of the project, and we want to help you stay connected with other TCs. The suggestions and resources below are designed to make this easier. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to explore these options.

Know What’s Going On

Here are a few things you can do to stay informed:

  • Update your contact information. Make sure the office has your correct contact information, and if anything changes, let us know. To send us your most recent information, fill out the TC Information Form.
  • Subscribe to site updates so that you’ll be contacted when we add new posts. There are two ways you can do this:
    • Email Newsletter – With this method, you’ll get updates delivered to your email address. Just enter your email in the form on this page and follow the prompts to confirm your subscription.
    • RSS Feed – If you have an RSS reader, you can add the site’s feed. Here’s the feed address: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/nvwp
  • Add the calendar to your RSS reader or online calendar (though new events will be announced on the blog, so if you’ve subscribed using one of the methods above, you won’t miss anything). Learn more about this on the Calendar page.

Attend Board Meetings

Meetings usually occur once a month in Robinson A447 at George Mason University, usually on the second Friday of each month, and run from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Schedules meetings will be listed on the Calendar. The NVWP Board consists of staff plus at least one person from each program. All Teacher/Consultants are invited to attend. If you have suggestions you’d like the Board to consider, please let us know.

Get Involved with the Online Community

You can stay in touch with other TCs through the NVWP Network. This social network allows TCs to connect with one another to discuss topics in a shared forum, post  updates to a personal blog, plan and discuss events, or share photos, videos, and other resources.

Attend Events & Offerings

Keep an eye on this site for announcements about upcoming events. Throughout the year, NVWP organizes a number of events, many of which are tied to one or more Continuity Programs listed below. Some of these events are for TCs only, such as: Writing Workshops (poetry, fiction and professional writing), Progoff Intensive Journal Workshop, Tech4TCs, and the Reunion Dinner. We’ve also had programs such as Book Talk and Writing and Reflection.

You might also consider taking English 695 or English 696. (Even if you’ve taken 695 once, take it again. It changes every year because the presenters change, and most of the presenters are selected based on the needs of the class.)

Be Agents of Change

We hope you’ll continue the development that started with the Summer Institute by working actively as a proponent for sound instructional practices. To that end, you might consider the following:

  • Ask your principal about sponsoring an NVWP workshop for the teachers in your school.
  • Nominate a colleague for the Summer Institute. Remember what a great experience it was going through the SI? You can bring that to a colleague, and share in it via their experiences.
  • Propose a program. Many of the programs NVWP runs came into existence because a TC got an idea and wanted to pursue it. If you have an idea for a continuity program, propose it at the next board meeting.
  • Consider teaching in the one-day Young Writers Workshops or the two-week Student Summer Institute. Can you imagine how exciting it might be to have a class of ten students, all of whom love to write? Why imagine it when you can experience it for real at the Young Writers Workshop. Contact us if you’re interested.
  • Encourage your students to try the Student Summer Institute or the one-day Young Writers Workshops. If you contact the office far enough in advance, we can make special arrangements for a teacher who wants several of his/her students to attend.
  • Submit an article to The Journal or the NVWP blog. These provide excellent opportunities to share your experiences, insights, and resources with other teachers. We’re open to your ideas, but we have some suggestions for The Journal and the blog.

Work with Our Programs

  • First-Year Program – The First-Year Program is a series of gatherings for new Teacher/Consultants over the twelve months following the Summer Institute to help maintain and expand upon interests and ties developed during the summer.
  • Writers Workshop – A regular series of meetings for Teacher/Consultants to meet with professional writers to discuss the practice of writing and to receive feedback on current projects.
  • Reading/Writing Groups – During the Summer Institute, Fellows meet bi-weekly to share and respond to their own writings. T/Cs are encouraged to continue these meetings, and NVWP offers help in doing so.
  • Teacher Research – A regular series of meetings to discuss strategies and concerns about evaluating student work at all levels of development.
  • Technology & Writing – Resources and suggestions for staying connected online or for integrating technology into the teaching of writing.