WRITING THEIR FUTURE SELVES (VOTA) | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Jan 7, 2024 5:00 pm
Location
Takoma
235 Carroll St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20012
Jan 7, 2024 5:00 pm
Takoma
Whatever subject you teach, you can encourage students’ sense of self-worth.
“I’m a bad writer†is a disclaimer every secondary teacher has heard many times. Overcoming that negative self-image, Plotinsky argues, is key to helping students build a positive academic identity—and because of the vulnerability associated with sharing what we write, the benefits of interrupting this particular form of deficit thinking extend far beyond English class.
Drawing on her years of experience as an English teacher and literacy specialist, Miriam Plotinsky uses writing instruction as a powerful vehicle to examine how teachers can help students build a sense of themselves as legitimate, valuable contributors to the world around them. The chapters move fluidly through ways to build capacity such as celebrating student voice, separating grading from class participation, giving feedback that inspires trust, and avoiding the labeling of students. Along the way, teachers in other content areas contribute insights into how the identity-building strategies in the book can be applied to their own disciplines.
Voices of Takoma Authors is an ongoing series of programs sponsored by Historic Takoma featuring presentations by local authors about their works, their approach to writing, and their inspirations, drawing on authors in the Takoma Authors collection. Voices of Takoma Authors provides an opportunity for the community to learn about their author neighbors and engage in discussions with them. While many of these discussions occur at Historic Takoma, Busboys and Poets Books Takoma is hosting some as well. For more, see Historic Takoma’s page: https://historictakoma.org/voices-of-takoma-authors/.
Miriam Plotinsky and Phyllis L. Fagell are joining us on the Busboys stage to discuss WRITING THEIR FUTURE SELVES and how to best build students up while teaching them the skills they need. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and the author will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 5:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of WRITING THEIR FUTURE SELVES will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will NOT be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and the author of several education books: Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom, Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School and Writing Their Future Selves: Instructional Strategies to Affirm Student Identity (W.W. Norton) as well as the forthcoming Small and Mighty: Bite-Sized Teaching Habits to Achieve Huge Results (ASCD, 2025). Miriam is a regular contributor to several publications, including Education Week and Edutopia, and she is a frequent guest on education podcasts internationally. She is also a National Board–certified teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at https://miriamplotinsky.com/.
Phyllis L. Fagell is a licensed mental health therapist at Chrysalis Group and the consulting counselor at Landon School. She's the author of two bestselling books, "MIDDLE SCHOOL MATTERS, The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond – and How Parents Can Help" (Hachette, 2019) and "MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPERPOWERS, Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times" (Hachette, 2023). Phyllis also is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and other national publications, including CNN, Psychology Today, Working Mother, and U.S. News & World Report, and her ideas have been shared in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Chicago Tribune, and NPR. Phyllis lives in Bethesda with her husband and three children.
Historic Takoma is a membership-based, all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, founded to preserve the heritage of Takoma Park, Maryland and the Takoma Park neighborhood of the District of Columbia through educational activities and the preservation of historic landmarks and artifacts, especially documentary archives.
