Reading Response for Class on 1/24

Let's begin with chapter 1 of Kelly Gallagher's text Teaching Adolescent Writers. First and foremost, I love the structure of this textbook. I find it very straightforward and easy to navigate. That being said, when the "Top Ten Writing Wrongs in Secondary Schools" appeared, I was immediately drawn to the list. Reading through, I started thinking about my own experience in a middle school and high school classroom, and how my education fell under many of these "wrongs." I think many people would say the same. #2 stuck out to me the most - "writing is sometimes assigned rather than taught." I remember this: getting an assignment and having no idea how to complete it. I was well aware of the structure I needed to write in- the five paragraph essay with the dull, descriptive introduction and the summative conclusion. I knew I needed evidence- quotes from the text, and I had to explain why I picked them.

When I got to college and started taking higher level english classes, my professors started pushing for more. They wanted an argument, thoughtful inquiry and analysis. I could even use voice and narrative to drive my writing! I realized quickly that out of the hundreds of papers I wrote in high school, none of that had been asked of me. This initially made me nervous, seeing as I plan to become a middle school english teacher. However, I know there are ways to correct these problems we all experienced so frequently. Gallagher outlines them as "Righting Writing Wrongs: The Pillars of Writing Success" and has a very concise list that would be easy to implement in the classroom, as long as the teacher gives these solutions enough time and attention. I'm pleased to say that some of these have been emphasized in my methods courses throughout my program as an education major. I hope that means that the tides are shifting, that changes in writing in the classroom are happening.

The chapter concluded with "Writing Reasons" which I found connected to our second piece of reading, the introduction in Linda Christensen's text Teaching for Joy and Justice. Both texts discussed bringing students' lives to the forefront of writing, and that a connection to their assignment will provide the best results. I liked the section in the introduction called "Uncovering Brilliance" because it emphasized writing as something more than an assessment or testable means. Each student has a talent, a "brilliance" of their own and it is up to us as educators to discover what that is and use it to enhance their learning and experience in the classroom. There were many similar ideas in the section "And We're Never Done," connecting again to Gallagher's text. It's a process, teaching writing, and we are all involved as future educators, current educators, and past students of writing. We are learning and growing and changing as student need does. I loved the quote from Christensen - "Teaching is like life, filled with daily routines- laundry, cooking, cleaning the bathtub- and then moments of brilliance."

In the final article of this grouping, "To High School English Teachers (and All Teachers)," I found the list of lessons or tips broader, but none the less, important. Reading from a blog is different than reading from a textbook. For some reason, I personally feel like it makes the information more real and pertinent. The author credits himself in the beginning as a teacher of 40 years and a published author of 30, who still works with teacher candidates and active teachers. When reading the tips, I felt that this experience really came through. I especially liked the lesson - "Choice, Joy, and Kindness." I think it is incredibly important that we foster a love of writing in students, and this does not happen when "we hammer the five-paragraph essay into students" or force them to all write on the same prompt, based off the same text. Again, this was often my own experience in high school, and I now cringe when thinking back. Why? What was the point?

Now I find myself wondering, what if I hadn't formed my own love of writing? I understand why many of my classmates today hate essays. They were most likely taught to. Maybe if they had been allowed to lead their own journey as a writer, with some helpful guidance along the way, things would be different.