As a teacher of creative writing, I have seven years’ experience engaging diverse learning styles, incorporating 21st century skills and habits of mind, and creating curricula that honor the knowledge and passions of learners in public schools, after-school ELL and arts programs, psychiatric care, and jail. I build strong and responsive relationships with classroom teachers, partnering to create arts-infused integrated lessons bridging creative writing to subjects such as science, math, and social studies.
Golf Pencil Group: teaching creative writing to women incarcerated at King County Correctional Facility and adults in transitional housing
I’m a member of a cohort of Seattle teaching artists who bring reflective, inspiring, and integrative writing activities in a weekly class to women incarcerated at King County Correctional Facility. We stand for student-affirmation in a traumatic and destabilizing time, and believe our students are agents in their own empowerment and transformation. Learn more about our work and donate here. Here is a powerful memoir piece that one student published in Real Change; here’s an article about our teaching work. Join our email list here!
Writers in the Schools: teaching creative writing in K-12 public school classrooms
I’m a teaching artist with classroom students from grades 3 to 12 with Writers in the Schools. I present creative writing lessons that offer social-emotional skills and tools for connecting deeply to our imaginations as a means of grounding, delight, and self-connection.
Some testimonials from high school age students:
“Your presence brings light and energy into the classroom, and you’ve inspired every one of us.”
“You should keep teaching. You’re a caring person and you push kids to learn.”
“It was super challenging at first and required me to dig deep. I want to thank you for pushing me to write, revise, and go further.”
From elementary age students:
“I also want to tell you how thankful I am for WITS. It is one of my favorite things at school.”
“This was an amazing time we had and I’m sad to see it go!”
“Thank you for giving us ideas and sparking our imagination!”
Some testimonials from teachers:
“Jay is a gifted facilitator and a joy to teach alongside. They craft thoughtful lesson plans and curriculum with specific student circumstances in mind. More importantly, Jay is always willing to throw out a lesson – at least for the moment! – to meet the needs of the real people in the room. Jay builds a space where people can be brave. “
“I have worked with Jay Thompson for two years now, and my students, both online and in-person, loved Jay Days! They truly became poets on the first day [he] worked with them. [His] teaching gave them guidance, freedom, confidence, and reassurance that what they wrote and had to say was worthwhile. [He] created and held a space where every student knew that they were respected by their classmates, and many shared that they felt their writing served to actually inspire their classmates. I hope to continue working with Jay for many years to come! [His] teaching was an important key that unlocked so much of my students’ creativity, and I was able to build upon that when our time with [him] was over.”
*
I’m available for teaching artist work in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties. I’m also on Seattle’s Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster. Email me if you’d like to get in touch about teaching work: jaybthompson at gmail
Visit my LinkedIn to learn more and download my CV!
Photo credits: Max Shaw; Laura Busch; Michael B. Maine
Jay Aquinas Thompson 
You must be logged in to post a comment.