The Challenge of Teaching Writing

                While reading the first chapter of Teaching Students to Write, I was struck by how many things made perfect sense to me. The ideas that were presented were clear and their purposes were obvious, which is a very unusual situation for me to find myself in when reading a textbook. Though these ideas were clear and I am in agreement with them, I believe that they are easier said than done. While a person can say that he knows the best way to write, this can be difficult to put into practice, especially with virtually no teaching experience, like I have at the moment. I feel that this experience is the only way that we can learn how to be successful teachers and the text of this chapter is a good basis for how to start down that road.

                I understand and agree with the book when it states that the teaching of writing can be a difficult and intimidating task. Every person has their own reasons for wanting to become an English teacher. I know that mine was based much more in a love for literature than that for writing. That being said, I do enjoy writing on some level, and this will be important because as teachers we must show an enthusiasm for what we are teaching if we expect our students to get exciting about it. Personally, the writing that has traditionally caught my interest in school has been creative and journalistic writing (I hope to supervise a high school newspaper eventually), but I definitely need more work on my formal academic writing, especially before I feel confident teaching these things to others. I know that these are the issues that I will personally have to tackle in order to become the best teacher that I can possibly become.

                I also feel that the textbook does a good job of explaining different theories on how to teach writing to students, as well as the pros and cons for said theories. When I was in school, I feel like I was mostly taught with a more craft-centered approach. We had creative writing and journals that were based more on the free flow of ideas, but teachers would generally mark up major writings with the mechanical flaws in the dreaded red pen. This didn’t bother me too much. If I missed a question on a history or math test, the teacher would mark it incorrect. I never expected different treatment from my English teachers, since an examination of my mistakes would allow me to learn from them and improve as a writer. However, I can see where some students would be bothered. As a solid writer, I didn’t generally make a ton of mistakes, but I completely understand how trying to find my original work through a sea of red ink could be pretty disheartening.

                I also understand, as the book points out, that an affect-centered solution is basically an overcorrection of this issue. This type of strategy definitely helps with the self-expression aspect of writing that students sometimes struggle with. Whether it is a formal essay or a creative story, writing is basically putting one’s thoughts and beliefs out there for others to judge, and that is difficult for most people. This solution, however, does not tackle the need for students to understand the nuts and bolts of writing, which is an equally important component, along with words themselves. This is why the book says, and why I agree, that a balance between these two solutions is the best way to teach writing to students. Writing is a complex and difficult thing, and the adolescent psyche can be fragile, and it is important to be encouraging and yet critical enough provide students with the knowledge necessary to be able to write successfully when they get beyond school. I expect that this will be a difficult balance to strike at times, but I am confident that with some practice and experience that I will be able to do so.