Chapter 1: What? Me Write?: Six Reasons to Write for Publication

Every year at the conclusion of the Center for Teaching American History (CTAH) summer workshops for social studies teachers held on the campus of Binghamton University, I urge the teachers in attendance to consider writing about their lesson activities for The Social Science Docket.¹ The look on many of the faces reminds me of the expression made famous by Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame. But, instead of “What? Me Worry?” it appears as “What? Me Write?” In part, of course, teachers believe they simply don’t have the time to commit to writing for publication. But a more significant—and more distressing factor—is the belief that they either have little or nothing to say or that they lack credibility. And many of the participants in these workshops are experienced teachers who are at what Ryan and Cooper (2004) identify as the “generative-creative” level of their professional development (p. 466).² Furthermore, the evidence indicates that the devaluing of teacher knowledge continues and that many teachers truly believe they have little to offer.