A collective breath was taken, even though everyone was muted on the Zoom call, even though some screens were dark. Eyes opened wide and hands went to hearts. Some shed small glistening tears, while others smiled with admiration. This is the power of letting student voices be heard. The topic was empathy; the speaker was in elementary school. Her words expertly examined an idea that to many, might seem beyond her age and understanding. She wrote her piece specifically for the Capital District Writing Project’s Midwinter Retreat, an annual gathering of teachers, administrators, college professors, and community educators from across the Capital Region and beyond. On this morning, we asked participants, ages 6-18, from our summer Young Writers Workshops to share writing. Spoiler alert: it was a highlight of the retreat. Each of the young writers had something different to offer: a personal reflection, a humorous thriller, a look to the future, the misadventures of a cat. Each of their stories brought joy to the audience.

So often educators are forced into focusing on the curriculum, the marking, the observations, the interims, the emails, the phone calls, the meetings, the testing, that we forget or aren’t able to enjoy and make space for one of the most beautiful things about our jobs: student voices. When given the opportunity, though, to listen, the invigorating and thought-provoking power of those voices is an undeniable gift.

The Capital District Writing Project is a vibrant network of K-college educators dedicated to enhancing the teaching of writing in the Capital Region. We are a local site of the National Writing Project (NWP). Located within UAlbany’s School of Education, we offer sustained professional learning opportunities, guided by systematic inquiry into practice, led by teachers, for teachers, in collaboration with university partners. For more information, please contact Dr. Kelly Wissman at kwissman@albany.edu.