Day by Day Update

I had eagerly been awaiting the release of Ruth Ayers' and Stacey Shubitz's Day by Day: Refining Writing Workshop Through 180 Days of Reflective Practice. I imagined dropping everything and reading it cover to cover as soon as I got it. Then when it arrived, I finally got the full significance of the title. I realized that it would be better to read in smaller chunks, leaving ample time to ponder and reflect. I am not sure how long it will take me to read it, but I wanted to at least do an updated post to mention some of my first impressions.

First, I was surprised at the size of the book. It is pretty thick at a little over 300 and regular textbook size compared to the size of most typical Stenhouse books that I have read. When I skimmed the table of contents, I realized that the size was a good thing - allowing for a comprehensive resource. I immediately thought of the 4/5 teacher at my school who has mentioned wanting to learn more about writing workshop. The day after it arrived, I excitedly showed it to the instructional coach at my school who was also impressed with her initial impression and wrote down the title to order her own copy.

As I was able to read more, I realized that it is not an ideal introductory text to writer's workshop for my colleague. It is perfect for people who are more at my stage who already have a foundation in workshop teaching but are looking to reflect and refine. This is exciting for me as I am able to think through different categories of workshop resources - introductory overviews, those focusing on one component, and now books like Day by Day that help teachers zoom back out to the big picture in order to continually improve.

The same voice that I have loved on the Two Writing Teachers blog is consistent with the tone of the book. Overall, I am thrilled with the resource and am savoring each page. I am enjoying slowing down in order to fully absorb and reflect on their ideas. For the same reasons, I think it would be perfect for a school-wide or department book club/book study. Depending on how I progress through the book, I may do multiple posts at various points, rather than waiting until the end of the book.