About
“Making meaning on the page and in our lives”
Lucy Calkins
Our Vision
To lead our young writers to authorship—guiding them to write what matters with precision, sincerity, and personal voice.
Our Values
We nurture intrinsically motivated learners who strive to write well because they have something meaningful to say. We believe writing should be an authentic process, where student voice is at the heart of composition.
For us, writing is not just about mastering skills—it is a form of behaviour. As William F. Irmscher explains:
“Writing is overcoming inhibitions, getting started, controlling, matching words to thoughts—feeling as well as thinking.”
“Children, all children, can write about issues close to their lives and hearts. Their lives matter, and aspects of those lives are worth recording.”
Elwyn Richardson.
Biblio offers a proven approach to teaching and learning, inspired by the philosophy of Elwyn Richardson. We know that filling students with information and teaching skills in isolation doesn’t work. As Richardson believed, learning begins in experience. Through their own explorations, children find the seeds of their ideas and their connection to the world. This approach places emphasis on creativity, exploration, and connection, ensuring that students are equipped to engage with the world in meaningful ways
With Biblio, expect to help children find what it is they have to say, mine their lives for what matters, develop habits of inquiry, learn to write from writers and rich literature, and empower learners to write well in return. As Bruce Jepsen states, 'When students – Māori or otherwise – feel their identity is valued, their confidence, pride, and self-belief lead to aspiration and, in time, to achievement.'
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Verity
Biblio Director, Consultant