About the Book
In this moving, personal book, Ruth Ayres weaves together her experience as a mother, teacher, and writer. She explores the power of stories to heal children from troubled backgrounds and offers up strategies for helping students discover and write about their own stories of strength and survival. She shares her own struggles and triumphs and hard-earned lessons from raising a family of four adopted children. Her experience is invaluable to any teacher who’s met children living in poverty, in unstable households, or in fear of abuse.
Ruth explores recent brain research on the way trauma changes the brain and makes a case for encouraging all students to write. She believes that all students benefit from revealing their stories, by communicating information and opinion that allows darkness to turn to light in the lives of children. In the last part of her book she offers up practical suggestions for enticing all writers, regardless of their struggles. Enticing Hard-to-Reach Writers invites you on a journey to become a teacher who refuses to give up on any student, who helps children believe that they can have a positive impact on the world, and who—in some cases—becomes the last hope for a child to heal. |
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About the Author
Ruth Ayres
Ruth has been in education for 18 years, first as a middle school language arts teacher, then as a district writing coach. Ruth became an innovation specialist, leading elementary instructional coaches and planning professional development to encourage teachers to guide their students into deeper critical thinking. Currently, Ruth is the Director of the All Write Consortium, a professional development organization serving the needs of Indiana and Michigan schools.
Her most important work happens in her personal life. Ruth and her husband, Andy, have adopted four children. Their youngest, Sam, has been with them the longest. They adopted Sam at birth in 2006. In 2008, they adopted their daughters Hannah and Stephanie from foster care. In 2013, their son Jordan joined their forever family when he was almost 8. Currently they live the beautiful mess of an active family with pre-teens and teenagers filling their home.
Ruth writes when it is dark -- in the early morning hours before day breaks and too late when the stars glitter the sky. Writing allows her to find big meaning in the small moments of life. When she's not behind the computer screen, you'll find her with her family, cooking together in the kitchen, cheering at sporting events, biking big country hills, or playing cards after dinner.
Her most important work happens in her personal life. Ruth and her husband, Andy, have adopted four children. Their youngest, Sam, has been with them the longest. They adopted Sam at birth in 2006. In 2008, they adopted their daughters Hannah and Stephanie from foster care. In 2013, their son Jordan joined their forever family when he was almost 8. Currently they live the beautiful mess of an active family with pre-teens and teenagers filling their home.
Ruth writes when it is dark -- in the early morning hours before day breaks and too late when the stars glitter the sky. Writing allows her to find big meaning in the small moments of life. When she's not behind the computer screen, you'll find her with her family, cooking together in the kitchen, cheering at sporting events, biking big country hills, or playing cards after dinner.