Sadly, I could write a rant a day for the next few weeks about what's getting an axe in the federal budget. It seems as though, rather than addressing what are the core issues of what's wrong with revenue and expenditure in this country (e.g. corporations pay no taxes, defense spending is ludicrous), we're chipping away at some of the lesser-known (but I'd argue, invaluable) programs that are supported by the federal government.
As a writer, I'd be remiss to not add my voice to those who are horrified that the National Writing Project has been defunded. Horrified, stunned, concerned, angered, disappointed, rankled -- ah, the verbs at my disposal. Thank you, literacy. Thank you, authors and educators who have helped me hone my craft.
On March 2, President Obama signed a bill that stripped the project of its federal funding (along with several other educational programs, including Reading is Fundamental), putting at jeopardy a program that provides professional development to educators at all grade levels -- from preschool to college -- and in all content areas. These educators in turn help millions of students in this country become better writers.
I taught writing (and by that, I mean Writing) for 2 years. I taught literature, film, and folklore for 5 (and by that, I mean writing). I worked as the University of Oregon's Literacy Initiative volunteer coordinator for 1 year (a project that supported community literacy). I invoke this background here because these sorts of efforts, not all clearly associated with the teaching of writing per se, coincide to a certain extend with the diverse practices that the National Writing Project supports.
The project addresses writing across the curriculum, across writing styles and forms, throughout our lives. And it helps teachers become better teachers of writing, and one of the most important ways it does this is by building a community of writers and teachers, engaged in a discussion of writing theory, research, and practice.
Writing isn't just about school essays. Writing isn't just about test scores. Strong writing skills are necessary to craft emails and resumes. The NWP understands that. After all, if you cannot write, you have no voice. If you have no voice, you have limited agency. Is that really the message this government wants to send?