Can we teach writing in a way that fosters well-being? In this presentation Robert Yagelski not only suggests that writing can be taught so that it fosters well-being but he also argues that it should be. Writing, he believes, should be part of a broader educational project whose primary purpose is promoting the well-being of students who can contribute to the creation of just and sustainable communities. However, conventional education—and specifically mainstream writing instruction—rest on problematic assumptions about the self and knowledge, resulting in pedagogies that, at best, fail to give students access to the power of writing and, at worst, can be damaging to a student’s sense of self and how he or she relates to others. Recent developments in educational policy, such as the Common Core movement, reinforce those assumptions and encourage misguided pedagogies that diverge from educators’ sincere efforts to serve their students’ needs. Drawing on the stories of his own students, Yagelski will examine how the experience of writing, which is largely ignored in mainstream education, can be the source of writing’s power to transform. A focus on the experience of writing, as distinct from the text produced, is essential for developing a humane approach to writing instruction by which students can realize the transformative capacity of writing. Using examples from his students, Yagelski will demonstrate that conventional forms of academic writing—indeed, any kind of writing—can be a vehicle for self-reflection and well-being.