I went to college to be an anthropologist and somewhere around the end of sophomore year, I fell into elementary education. I taught for 5 years before going through SI in 2008, and for five years I routinely heard the distinct moan of students who would rather do long division while eating Brussels sprouts than write for me! We all remember that moan-low and guttural-what I imagine a really bored Yeti sounds like...those moans haunted my nights and filled my weekdays. I realized that I was like an academic anthropologist who needed to study the natives and learn their ways. I needed to ward off that damned moan! After SI I went back to school with not only research based strategies and a new network of fellow classroom adventurers, but a zest for writing that my students caught like a bad case of malaria! I have NEVER heard the fear inducing cry of the bored writing student again. Good riddance!

-Leslie Morton
UMWP TC & SI Co-Director