The 826michigan Education Advisory Board
This spring we piloted a new project, based on the trailblazing efforts of intelligence at 826CHI (no wonder their theme is espionage)! We assembled an all-star A TEAM of educators to help advise us on programming decisions and best practices when working with students and volunteers about writing. Think of them as deep wells of knowledge, part Jedi Council, part Dumbledore’s Army, part Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Our meetings are full of experiment, curiosity, questions, thoughtful feedback, new ideas, wisdom, free-writes, reflection, and encouragement, and we couldn’t be more grateful to them for the time they’ve put into helping 826michigan this year and over the years as special advisors and friends.
Our Ed Committee provided a series of incredibly helpful sessions to our staff and interns over the summer, covering topics like motiving young writers, the socio-political history of education policy in the United States over the past fifty years, a closer look at National Council for Teachers of English Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing, preparing students for college writing, and program planning and evaluation. The conversations we had were incredibly important to our staff as we set about making program plans for the coming school year–they are conversations we continue each week with our volunteers and students, and our Ed Committee provided us with such a valuable framework for them.
The committee meets every six weeks and between meetings, members help the staff by answering questions and directing us to new educational articles and ideas to consider. Since March, the committee has worked on helping our program department completely revise our volunteer training system: we’ve transitioned from leading individual program trainings into a streamlined, interactive and engaging general program training! This was a huge undertaking, but we’re already seeing the benefits, and we are so pleased to have such powerful, brilliant, dedicated teachers helping us lead the way.
We are grateful to two of our committee members emeritus, long-time partner teacher and 826 supporter Ben Curran and James and Grace Lee Boggs School support teacher Jasmine Noble, and to our founding board members Cathy Fleischer, Mary Roderique, and Deana Wojcik — how truly lucky for us to have you guiding, cheering, and teaching us always.
Cathy Fleischer is a former high school teacher and professor of English education and writing at Eastern Michigan University. She is co-director of Eastern Michigan Writing Project for which she facilitates the Family Literacy Initiative, the teacher research group, and the Advocacy Initiative. She is also editor of the NCTE Principles in Practice Imprint and has written numerous books and articles on the teaching of writing. She’s also an 826michigan junkie and is so honored to be on the Education Advisory Committee.
After working as a classroom teacher in New York City and Bloomington, IN, Mary Roderique moved to Ann Arbor for the desirable weather conditions. She teaches kindergarten for Ann Arbor Public Schools, works as a Writing Workshop Consultant for teachers in Michigan and Indiana, and blogs about raising young readers and writers. She also works with Colby the Service Dog to lead a Canine Assistants’ National Volunteer group, Noah’s Team of Ann Arbor.
Deana Wojcik has a background as an educator and previously taught middle and high school English and History at the Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, California.
