7 Reasons Teachers Make Great Writers
I always thought I was destined to be a teacher. I majored in Elementary Education, full of excitement to inspire young minds, instill a love of learning, and make a difference in the lives of my students. I loved school growing up and had so many positive memories that I couldn’t wait to relive from the other side of the podium.
It didn’t take long for that excitement to turn into frustration. After a few years of navigating rigid curriculums, administrative pressure, and lack of funding, I wondered if this job was for me. I loved my students and watching them grow, but I had become seriously burned out.
Then I remembered Melissa, my lifelong family friend and fellow former teacher. I knew she had pivoted from teaching to copy and content writing, but how? I wrote her a brief note that would eventually propel my working life in a new direction.
At first, Melissa only brought me on to project manage and edit. Reading great writing taught me a lot about form and function, like how to structure content and write for maximum impact. I took a few courses on digital marketing, social media, and SEO and slowly started writing as well. Several years later, I’m not only successfully writing, but I’m also teaching others to become better writers.
Many of Oxford & Em’s writers and editors are former teachers, and I’ve come to realize that makes a lot of sense. We reach into our teacher toolkits daily, applying the skills we learned in education to writing for small businesses and enterprises. Here are some of the ways our experience in classrooms helps us craft quality copy:
1. We’re aware of our audience
Whether they’re teaching PreK or seniors in high school, teachers need to think about their audience and adjust their tone, word choice, and content accordingly. Kindergarteners and high schoolers may both learn about the Declaration of Independence, but they’re interested in and able to understand it very differently. With our experience, we’ve successfully written for all kinds of readers — from bottom-of-the-funnel pieces for tech industry insiders to blogs geared at potential nonprofit donors.
2. We’ve modeled good writing
Teachers not only have to recognize good writing, but they also need to be able to explain what makes it good and get their students to mirror those qualities. Across all subjects and grade levels, students are inevitably asked to write. Teachers then assess their writing on both content and grammar (not to mention persuasiveness!), so naturally, they need to know their (there? they’re?) stuff.
3. We’re avid readers
We’ve all heard that good readers make great writers. Whether it’s a novel, read-aloud, continuing education article, or a student essay, teachers are expected (and typically choose) to do a lot of reading. Beyond that, they also spend time analyzing, searching for themes and deeper meanings, connecting the dots, and pulling out key concepts — all essential skills for excellent writing.
4. We break it down
Both teaching and content writing are all about breaking down information into understandable pieces. Even the most complicated topics can be explained in a clear, digestible way, from Soviet economic theory to the Palmer method of penmanship. Great teaching is not starting at the beginning and working to the end; it’s explaining the main themes, benefits, negatives, and results of an idea or event in a memorable and logical way. And so is writing!
5. We make it work
Teachers are expert improvisers, and rolling with changes at the drop of a hat is an everyday occurrence. Field trips get canceled, computer labs can be unexpectedly occupied (use the sign-up sheet, people!), and technical difficulties can render the amazing lesson you spent hours making completely useless. But you still have a room full of children who need something to do before chaos erupts.
The writing world is remarkably similar. We’ve been tasked with leading brainstorms, only to discover that we can’t edit the Miro boards as vendors. Sometimes the C suite can only pop in for 10 minutes of an hour-long meeting — but their input is crucial. And let’s not forget the (many) times Teams decided to require updates right before a big call. Times like these — as well as last-minute subject changes, tight turnarounds, and topics that require lots of research — are all times when we channel our inner Tim Gunn and make it work.
6. We make it fun
Imparting knowledge is only part of teaching. Coming up with an attention-grabbing, interesting way to deliver that information is equally important. Similarly, our job as writers is not just to deliver information, but to do it in a way that holds readers’ attention, makes them read to the end, and leaves them wanting more.
After all, if you can get a middle schooler excited about the changing boundary lines of eastern Europe, you can do pretty much anything!
7. We make it matter
Students want to know why this stuff matters, and so do potential customers shopping for your product or service. Good teachers will tell you students are more open to learning when they understand why they need to know the information and how it matters in their lives. Elementary school kids don’t hop to school eager to learn fractions until you explain how it will help them equally divide four cupcakes for six friends. Likewise, the only way to keep someone reading your blog post or newsletter is if it’s valuable to them— even if they never become customers.
My journey from teaching to writing wasn’t expected, but it’s been wonderful. The Oxford & Em team continues to grow, and each one of us has a background in education. Was this intentional? No. A coincidence? Maybe. All we know is it was clearly meant to be.
Want to learn what our team of teachers-turned-writers can do for you? Contact us for your first lesson.
