Arlington Teachers

John Stewart: The Value of Writing for Freedom of Expression

in

The Write Stuff - Virginia
October 2014

John Stewart and I have been acquainted for many years through our extended circle of friends, but it was not until I ran into him at a technology symposium for Arlington County Schools in the summer of 2013 that I had a chance to see him in action as an educator.  As an instructional lead teacher for the school system, John was facilitating a class about apps and Internet resources to hook students into writing creatively.  With a career that began in the 1990s at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education , and has since spanned over two decades in the classroom, providing adventures far and near, I knew he would have a keen perspective on writing with his students.   When I found his name on the NVWP resource blog, I realized it was time to give John a call.

John in his classroom 

Autumn Dalton: One Teacher

in

Front Porch Magazine
November 2013 (pg 7)

 

Recently, in her emboldened speech to the United Nations, Malala Yousafzai passionately proclaimed, “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”  Selflessly, Yousafzai has pressed educational inequalities to the global forefront, braving threats and defying death to bring her message to the world.  Yet, here in America, education and teachers are often portrayed in less than flattering light.  Here, the concentration is often on what schools are doing wrong, rather than on what committed teachers are doing right. 

One such teacher is Autumn Dalton, a seven year veteran of Stafford Senior High School’s English department.  Vivacious and vibrant as her fuscia tipped curls, Dalton says her choice of career was never a question.  “I’ve always liked knowing things and teaching people, and I have definitely always admired teachers.  I’ve wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten.  I went to a very poor elementary school, but there were some extremely dedicated women working there who were very good at what they did. ”

Photo provided by Autumn Dalton