This article considers how relationships in the English classroom are influenced by the types of literacy activities, the role of the teacher, the tone of oral comments, and the types of writing students share with peers.

In society, expertise bestows directive power--the authority to tell others what to do and how to do it, or simply to do it for them. In a school system that still operates on an authoritarian model, the author's expertise as a writer and teacher gives her directive prerogative when responding to student writing. Traditionally, teachers have used…

Sarah Irwin and Cyndi Knodle believe that by replacing the confines of content and form in writing instruction and assignments with ample "time and space for invention and arrangement, writing teachers can help to inspire student thinking rather than chopping it off to fit a required format." They elaborate on students' eagerness to be guided by a…

Questioning the dichotomy of right and wrong, Virginia R. Monseau explores the tensions that arise from choices teachers make when trying to "do the right thing." From warning teachers about difficult students to presenting sensitive materials that challenge student belief systems, Monseau advises educators to pay close attention,…

Reminisces about a class of students that was especially loved, and arrives at the conclusion that if the class returned she would now be a better teacher. (NKA)

Argues that teachers must live with the system in which they work (whether tracking or nontracking) and therefore must try to develop methods for giving students their best without labeling those students. (SR)

Touts the rewards of being a yearbook advisor. Reviews a series of tips that could extend the life of an advisor: train, delegate, guide, then stand aside. (TB)

Presents different ways of teaching literature, in an effort to find the best way to position students in relation to a text, as practiced by a student teacher. Describes how past instruction shaped student response to texts and how one teacher exerted authority over student interpretation. (HB)

Presents the reflections of a young African American school teacher as she considers her role as a role model and mentor, especially to those of her race and gender. (TB)

Like Gertrude Stein's rose, a teacher is a teacher is a teacher. And if one does it right, there is no job more honorable, more fulfilling, more necessary to the betterment of the world. Teachers are the people who love the acquisition of knowledge. Teachers teach because they love learning. In this article, the author discusses what it means to…

Discusses research on the role of teacher help in process-oriented writing instruction. Maintains that, as students become more competent writers, teachers must withdraw as collaborators, or students will not become independent writers and process-oriented instruction will become another form of product-oriented instruction. (SR)

Describes how one English teacher developed a personal relationship with a student needing transportation to participate in a school play. Discusses the issue of breaking rules in such circumstances. Advocates courage to break rules in some cases. (HB)

Recounts a study conducted to determine (1) the degree to which writing as punishment exists, (2) the attitudes of English teachers toward the practice, (3) the frequency of its use, (4) the types of assignments, (5) the types of writing, and (6) reasons for the assignments. (EL)

Focuses on Nancie Atwell's "In the Middle," a seminal description of a middle school reading/writing workshop. Discusses how changes in the recently-published second edition show a revised conception of the teacher's role, of writing workshop pedagogy. Discusses implications for writing teachers and for the training of teachers of the English…

Lists 10 ways to involve students in the teacher's writing that can be beneficial to both teachers and their students. (MS)