Writing for the Public: Teacher Editorializing as a Pathway to Professional Development

Teacher-written editorial columns in local newspapers can challenge the broad, simplistic conceptions of the profession that have been encouraged by contemporary politics and that obscure the real work of teachers. The publication of such columns written by a diverse group of teachers in the West Texas Writing Project has proved an important tool for fostering a stronger sense of professionalism in individual teachers and for promoting their expertise to the lay public and other educators in their community. It has also afforded teachers new models and tools for teaching writing to their own students. This article argues that English education faculty and teacher educators are uniquely qualified to help teachers develop their political voices and write about education issues for the public, and it provides readers with methodologies for preparing teachers to do so. In addition, an analysis of four teacher-written columns sets out specific roles teachers can envision and assume in advocating for school reform and in taking greater ownership over their work. For teachers such as these, an enhanced professionalism that comes from writing for the public about their education objectives is an important step in developing teacher leadership skills.