As middle school ELA teachers, we all want to work to empower our young writers. They often come to us a little shaky, a little unsure. Teaching students--SHOWING THEM--that writing is a process can help middle school writers to build confidence and skill. Ultimately, our job as ELA teachers is not to teach students to scaffold and support students to write a singular essay. Our job is to give students the tools to become WRITERS beyond our classrooms. That means giving students the tools to wri