The Glazer & Lorton Writing Institute: Empowering Teachers to Become Writers

Imagine a place where teachers gather to learn directly from visiting authors. For two weeks, they show up daily to learn, write, share, confer, and continually adjust their words and their works in a beautifully authentic environment. These educators become writers. 

Throughout the process, they are nurtured and guided by highly skilled facilitators, and at the end of two weeks, their work is published in an anthology. When these teachers-turned-writers return to teaching, their approach to instruction changes. And from this point forward, their impact on young writers grows exponentially. 

Elementary teachers work to develop and refine their descriptive writing skills.

Too good to be true? Think again. 

It’s called the Glazer & Lorton Writing Institute (GLWI), and over the past 40 summers, Miami-Dade teachers have had the opportunity to become a part of this powerful experience. The institute was named for Zelda Glazer and Dr. Eveleen Lorton, two renowned South Florida educators and champions of the literary arts. They, along with a committee of dedicated educators, conceived this idea and made it a reality.

The success of GLWI is built on careful planning and some essential components:

• University and District Partnership

  
  

  GLWI is a joint venture of the University of Miami and Miami-Dade Public Schools. For decades, this partnership has required an ongoing commitment from university faculty and administration and district personnel – from the Superintendent of Schools to the dedicated group of facilitators who plan and implement the institute each year. Within that commitment is the assumption of funding. Bringing in two weeks of presenters from across the nation is costly, but these partners recognize the return on their investment. Institute organizers also secure support from local businesses, procuring food, treats, and GLWI bling for presenters and participants. Details matter, and the people behind the partnership understand this.

  
  

• Presenters From Across the Nation

  
  

  A rotating faculty of presenters is brought in from across the nation. Participants meet new authors each day, experiencing a breadth of influence and instruction. I’m humbled to have been a presenter for nearly half of GLWI’s existence, and I’m awed by some of the authors I have met during my time there – Jennifer Jacobson, Jeff Anderson, Dr. Alice Kawazoe, Kelly Gallagher, and poet Darius Daughtry, just to name a few. Jenny Oren Krugman, former high school English teacher and College Board administrator, has not only presented consistently but was on the committee that first organized the institute. (She was also my phenomenal high school English teacher, and I am forever grateful for her investment in me as a reader, writer, and thinker.)

  
  

• Committed Facilitators

  
  

  The local GLWI facilitators are consistent. Each year, they reconvene to plan, organize, and implement a well-oiled machine. Most are Miami-Dade educators, so they serve as mentors and models to the teachers in attendance. The consistency of this group means that they know what works, they’ve fine-tuned their plans, and they are able to proceed with efficiency and expertise. Most serve in dedicated areas, either with elementary, middle, or high school teachers. They build relationships with the teachers and with the presenters, which is a major reason why those presenters return year after year.

  
  

  

  Facilitators work side-by-side with teachers as they write.

  
  

• Personal Investment

  
  

  The teachers who attend GLWI make a commitment. Their summer has just begun, but they are willing to fully invest themselves for two straight weeks. They learn with hunger, write with passion, and encourage one another with grace. Those who are understandably apprehensive about sharing something so personal as their written works find courage in this safe environment. Their peers respond with warm support and specific praise, and magic happens. Something inside these teachers begins to sprout and grow and bloom, and when they return to the classroom, they understand how to create this same experience for their students.

Many school districts offer professional development in the teaching of writing. Most of the time, these trainings are focused on current curriculum components or assessment requirements. However, GLWI is not a splash for the moment; GLWI is an ocean of that which is authentic and timeless. 

If your school district is searching for a way to make a serious impact in the way writing is taught, I strongly suggest looking to GLWI as a model. Read about its history and reach out to the university and the school district. If you need specific contact information, reach out to me, and I will connect you.

What a gift this institute has been for Miami-Dade teachers and students for the past four decades! I applaud every person instrumental in making it an annual reality. 

Cheers to the next 40 years!