There's Not Much That Will Lure Me Into a School at & 7 a.m. Except Writing Portfolio Scoring Days at Joel Barlow High School

Once a year, usually birthday week, I'm invited to read as many writing portfolios as possible at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, CT, to offer them a score, and to give students feedback. I began this work in 2012 and have not missed a year yet - why? It reminds me of all the work I used to do in Kentucky with the state portfolio assessment and I'm simply excited that at least one school is promoting writing K-12 with feedback that really matters. 

It's always stunning, and I'm thankful for Timothy Huminski, who follows in Jack Powers' footsteps, for having me back every year.

Seven hours of scoring portfolios, followed by four hours of teaching, followed by a day in community-engaged learning in Bridgeport, followed by seven more hours in Redding is what it's all about. It's fuel for the rest of the year - hope reestablished beyond campus where the real work occurs.

Am I tired? Yes. but it's okay. It's work that matters and it is beyond inspiring. I just wished administrators, scholars, and teachers across the nation could join in on the excellence. I'm also sad that this used to be normal in Kentucky, but then disappeared. 

The kids lose out. They deserve to have their writing promoted in all content areas as they work through schools on their road towards careers. 

The other fascinating thing about Joel Barlow is they have a fantastic chef who caters food for all the students but also for those of us visiting for the day. The chicken burrito was delicious, and can you imagine if all cafeterias offered fresh chocolate cookies? 

Now, time to head back into school - this time for ESL instruction, but I'll be back to portfolios tomorrow. The pep is returning to my step.