"Writing is many things for a teacher, both within and outside
of the classroom. It is a tool for daily living and an art to be
enjoyed; it is a way of coming to know one's surroundings and a
medium for expressing ideas; writing ranges from a mechanism for
enhancing one's life to a machine for changing the world. As
Margaret Atwood said, "A word after a word after a word is
power." The teacher's task is to support students in finding
meaningful opportunities to write for many purposes and in many
genres, and through those experiences, to emerge with the skill
and the power to change their worlds." ~Gretchen Owocki, Teacher
Educator and Author Despite budget pressures and testing
mandates, oral and written communication remain essential in
American classrooms. Moreover, because the concept of writing
across the curriculum is increasingly finding its place in
middle and high schools, all teachers are expected to attend to
student progress in communication. Thus writing is integrated
into all aspects of teacher