Families, friends, principals and coworkers joined the teacher-students to hear what they had learned during the summer workshop.

For one month, teachers gave up their summer vacations to become more efficient educators.

Overcoming the fear of her peers judging her work was Crystal Little’s biggest challenge.

“Unconditional support and constructive feedback constructed the support system I needed,” said Little, a fourth-grade teacher at Blandy Hills Elementary School.

Little is one of three Blandy Hills teachers attending the writing workshop.

“Some teachers have come as teams from the same school,” said Lindell Dillon, a member of the original Central Writing Cohort and current math teacher of Georgia College’s Early College. When they go back, they will be able to integrate better writing across the curriculum.”

Against the backdrop of the colorful mural in Kilpatrick Auditorium, participants shared testimonials and readings from their productive month. The displayed their projects from the past month on display tables, and booklets and photos invited audience members to understand the events of the program. A bound anthology showcased the writing samples of the teachers.

Kathryn Moore of Henry County who teaches eighth-grade language arts, read her piece “The Beauty of the Project.”

The essay recounts details of the meetings during the past month — the ways the different personalities in the group interact, the camaraderie among friends. Moore writes, “The collaboration or blending aspect that exists among the project conjures a sort of savory creative process to be stimulated and a type of oral tradition to unfold.”

Teachers from Baldwin, Bibb, DeKalb, Henry, Houston and Washington counties traveled to Georgia College & State University to take part in the third annual Central Georgia Writing Project. The CGWP is part of the National Writing Project, a professional development network that serves teachers of writing at all grade levels, primary through university.

The local network connects teachers with the resources and tools to help them improve their students’ writing.

The project does not end with the summer workshop. It continues with monthly programs throughout the coming school years. The summer scholars become “teacher-consultants” and often lead training and professional development sessions in area schools.

“The program keeps expanding,” Dillon said. “We are forming more networks with more teachers and schools across the state. We’re even thinking about starting a summer writing camp for youth in certain areas.”

For more information about the CGWP, please contact any of the three directors: Linda Golson Bradley linda.golson@gcsu.edu (478) 445-2525; Anne Jones ajones@washington.k12.ga.us (478) 552-6620; and Dan Bauer dan.bauer@gcsu.edu (478) 445-1812.

For more information about the NWP, visit the website at http://www.nwp.org.