Their Story:

Since the 1975 Newsweek cover story that asked “Why Johnny Can’t Write,” the American public has been deluged with one set of messages, messages that haven’t really asked WHY Johnny can’t write, but proclaimed that he just can’t.  And those messages clearly point a finger at the work of literacy educators at all levels of the U. S. educational system.

As teachers of writing, we have different stories to tell:

Though the indictment has centered on literacy educators and “the U. S. educational system,” professionals in our field know that this monolithic indictment does not tell the whole story. Despite the very real challenges of writing instruction, this crisis mentality fails to reveal the serious work in literacy education—and the real commitment to writing among our students—that exists on every day in schools and colleges all around the U. S.  We know that students do write, in many modes and for many purposes. 

Our stories need to be told.