Amid the ongoing tension between an authentic teaching/learning of English and the increasing encroachment of assessments, teachers might gain support for a "meaning-making" approach by dialoguing with an earlier generation of English educators who balanced "skills" and "cultural heritage" with a "personal growth" model of instruction. Emphasising the work of David Holbrook and James Britton, I highlight the long tradition of English teaching which begins with a focus on the child. Each child's intentions become the starting point for fostering writing skill development, while encouraging connecting conversations with the texts and contexts of children's social and cultural lives.