**A quick note: Jacob had audio issues on this one…Please forgive us for the hum in the episode! It will be fixed! 

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring to you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

In this episode, Jacob and Pam recognize that their workshops may be entering the Dull Drums. It happens! 

When we are in a slump, motivation evades us, but we need to spice it up and keep it fresh.  Luckily, the powering of conferring can lead to us to some interesting ideas (which is exactly what happened to Jacob). For part of this episode, he shares a Horror writing contest his students encouraged him to have, where his students become literary critics voting on the winners. After hearing this idea, Pam steps in and offers a plethora of ideas to take this even further—truly bringing the spice to the future of their workshops.  

Students matter, their words matter; teachers inspire when they create opportunities for students to find their voice. Pam reflects on past years when teachers in her life made a difference, and details how this influences her decisions as she navigates the world of workshop in her middle school classroom.

There’s a lot in this episode to dive in and think about, especially if you are finding that your workshop might be in need of something to get it back on track. 

Join us as we explore how we spice up our waning workshops by bringing novelty, choice, and celebrations to our classrooms.

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