User:Robert W. Sizoo

I am currently at Humboldt State University as a part-time lecturer (Liberal Studies Elementary Education) and supervisor of student teachers. I am the full-time coordinator of the Early Assessment Program, a program with the modest goal of diminishing the need for remedial classes by convincing high-school students to become better prepared for college.

I worked with the Redwood Writing Project (a site of the National Writing Project) for twenty years - nine years as full-time co-director, and eleven years as part-time co-director while teaching sixth grade. I have directed the Redwood Writing Project-sponsored Lost Coast Writing Retreat for the last 12 years.

I am the author of Teaching Powerful Writing (Scholastic. 2001.), and have signed contracts with Scholastic to write two more books on teaching writing.

Over the last 15 years, I have presented workshops for teachers at local, statec and national conferences (CATE, NCTE, CRA, IRA) and at district inservices in Texas, Georgia, Oregon, and around California.

Other ways I've made a living: Poker Player - 2 years Sawmill worker - 5 years Deck hand on a drag boat - 3 years Construction - 2 years

In the later three jobs, I investigated and validated John Lennon's contention that "a working class hero is something to be." I realized in the course of my investigation that he had probably intentionally left out any evaluation of the word "something" and that my original interpretation of the lyric as "something good" was not necessarily accurate.