My story starts off pretty typical – I always grew up wanting to be a teacher, loved playing “school” as a child, and knew this was where my heart belonged.

I taught ELA to 6th and 8th grade students in two different districts: rural and urban. I loved teaching reading but was nervous when it came to teaching writing. In my first few years of teaching, I focused on isolated grammar skills, a big writing unit shoved in at the end of the unit to meet standards, and uncertainty when it came to effective writing growth. Once I moved districts, became a writing teacher, and started graduate courses, I found my love of writing personally and as a teacher. I realized the potential writing has in being able to dig into complex texts, discover identity (hello middle school!), and empower our voices to make a change in the world around us.

This passion led me to become an instructional coach and adjunct professor of preservice educators while continuing my own studies in a doctoral program. I longed for a community that focused on innovative writing ideas for middle school students. Writing does not have to be essays, isolated grammar studies, and, eeek, boring…

While sipping on a hot cup of coffee (ahh, my favorite!), I realized I still felt like I was missing something. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE coaching and teaching, but I wanted a space to talk about middle school writing. And so The Middle Brew was born…

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I dig into research and put this into practical form to innovate writing instruction at the middle level. Our students deserve a writing curriculum that is passionate, rigorous, and forward-thinking. Let’s get brewing!