Although Writing Retreat for Teachers is the title of only one July workshop, all the July workshops offer a retreat in which to learn new writing practices, read diverse texts, talk with teachers from across the country, and find time for rest and reflection on the Bard College Campus.
I will take away from this week’s workshop the determination to get students away from the five paragraph essay form, knowledge of inquiry writing, the exploratory essay, understanding of the focused freewrites and other kinds of short generative writing to give students material to pull together longer pieces. July, 2011About July Workshops
The July weeklong workshops at Bard provide us with the luxury of time, which allows us to envision how we might make these practices our own--how we might tweak the writing prompts; change the readings; figure out ways to accommodate collaborative learning in larger classes; imagine how poetry might inspire students from ethnically and linguistically diverse backgrounds.The week includes a number of receptions, and one evening of readings by poets and fiction writers from Bard College and the local area. On Thursday evening, current participants enjoy a celebratory reading from writing they've been doing in the workshops.
Participants in the July workshops arrive and pick up keys and workshop materials between 3:00 and 6:00 pm on Sunday, July 8. During the July workshops, teachers live in single dormitory rooms on the Bard campus, eat meals together, and enjoy the beautiful setting and lively atmosphere of Annandale-on-Hudson in the summer. The first workshop takes place on Sunday evening. On Monday our schedule of four ninety-minute workshop sessions per day begins (the only exception being on Wednesday, when classes end at 1:00 p.m. and participants have an afternoon and evening off to explore).
The week’s workshops conclude on Friday, July 13 at 4:00 pm. The schedule allows time to explore the scenic Mid Hudson Valley; take trips to nearby historic sites such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home and library, Eleanor Roosevelt’s home at Val-Kill, and the painter Frederic Church’s home at Olana; hike in the nearby Catskills; shop in Woodstock; eat at the many fine restaurants in the area; and attend concerts at Bard. Bard College athletic facilities, including lovely walking paths, the Stevenson Gymnasium’s swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, and fitness center, are available to workshop participants.
Also on campus in July, Bard SummerScape performances at the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues bring together an extraordinary schedule of performing arts, featuring an international roster of acclaimed artists in a range of performances. Click here for more information.
