Becoming a better writing teacher

I am currently reading a book titled, "6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up" by Ruth Culham. This is not for grad school, nor was it given out by my principal as a gift.

I want to become a better writing teacher, so I have taken it upon myself to engage in activities that aid me in reaching that goal.

Here are a few sentences from page 72 that really hit home, especially in this testing era:

"We are all under so much pressure to get those scores up, we often forget that it isn't scores that really matter, but the writing. And even if we don't forget, we tend to make compromises that cater to the tests. It takes courage to decide to stick to your principles, but your students will be so much the better for it."