In order to teach writing effectively, teachers must be writers themselves. They must experience the same uncertainty of starting a new draft and then struggling to revise. As they learn to move past the fear of failure, they discover the nervous rush and exhilaration of sharing work with an audience, just as their students do. Only by engaging in the real work of writing can teachers become part of the writing community they dream of creating for their students.   Kate Messner’s new book, 59 Reasons to Write, shows teachers and librarians who teach writing how to be stronger role models for their students.   “Writing for my students provided me with appropriate mentor texts to share,” she writes. “Writing with my students made me a mentor and a far better teacher.
