Through reading and reflecting on the words of Atwell, Rief, Moffett, and Graves, Maltese began to think like a teacher-researcher, and questioned her writing workshop practices. Once she began to consider audience as a motivating factor, writing became more meaningful for her students, encompassing a wide range of possibilities. Working from a foundation of student-centered learning, Maltese believes "school stops being an academic exercise and transforms into a place where we practice real world writing...and real world thinking." She describes how this philosophy plays out with a specific student example. (Contains 7 figures.)