Read What we Write
A philosophy on English: The Writing Perspective
I am very proud of my smudge of doom. Unfortunately, my elementary school teachers thought it was a gift from the devil. Obviously, writing rough drafts on a computer just wasn’t the educational norm at the time so hand writing all drafts was a must. Apparently, my left – handed smudge made it literally impossible for my teachers to read my writing – my hand writing was stunning, mind you. Nonetheless, my teachers would encourage me to rewrite the rough draft; and ironically enough, my fellow elementary students loved my smudging and could read it as if it were in published print. So where in the world is Carmen San Diego’s (sorry cool cats, but this is my alter ego) point in this babble of a preamble? Well, I demand that all Secondary English teachers and parents give as much or even more attention to their student's writing like my impeccable elementary teachers.
_
Even though
many would deem such a realization as a no – brainer, in order for our students
to have the slightest motivation to write, they must have interest in the topic
that has been assigned for their next writing project. So how does one go about
choosing the perfect topic for his or
her students?
What teachers can do:
High school English teachers, you all know very well that high
school students have very strong opinions on particular topics. In that case, I suggest that you allow your students to choose the topics for their papers. This can be done simply by having class discussions over current events. But, I’d advise that you allow your students to lead the discussions. Another way is to allow your students to explore the reading materials that you have available in the classroom. You never know when something completely off topic may spark an idea in a student’s head for a paper to be written over a concept found in an infamous Poe poem. Of course, there is no shame in giving your students a specific amount of choices to chose from – this will only keep them on target for their current writing goals – whatever they may be.
What parents can do:
Parents, when it comes to your children trying to chose an
ingenious paper topic for their next writing assignment, you are very valuable tools in their success as writers. In fact, this enables you to get involved with what you’re children is learning! Say your child is struggling to come up with an astonishing topic over Poe’s The Raven - go ahead and read the poem as well! By doing so, you have the power to begin educational conversations: “When I read this poem, this stanza really stuck out at me.” A little nudge such as this will help the child grow curious and will encourage him or her to read that same stanza; and eventually, you two will be discussing over the why’s and why nots –brainstorming!
So there you have it folks. Even though your teenagers may show resentment towards adult figures, whether an English teachers or parents, they still want that adult approval; and once a student realizes: “Oh.They really do like my topic,” that long awaited motivation AND interest to write has finally bloomed! But hold on a minute folks, your interest doesn’t stop here. The editing process is the most important part of the writing cycle!
When it comes to the editing process of any writing assignment, students (like myself) grow a writer’s complex. Now, this complex can be very positive or very negative. In other words, students can be either too proud or too ashamed to allow their written pieces to be shared with other writers. In that case, it is important to vary the ways students partake in the editing process.
What teachers can do:
I strongly advise for teachers to set up weekly conferences with all of their students; and as English teachers, I encourage all of you to allow the student to begin the discussion over their own work –what parts are strong, what parts need improvement, what parts are creating confusion and struggle? By doing so, the teacher is able to see the thought processes that follow through the student’s writing; and through these thought processes, the teacher can either agree or disagree with a student’s review of their own written work. But, there would mostly likely hardly any conflict with the matter of different opinions. Most importantly, if a teacher were to have conferences every week for the time allowed for every writing assignment, both the student and the teacher can witness improvement or even fallbacks. Also, these constant meetings will only help to promote a more accurate grade for the final piece.
What parents can do:
Not to digress, but my mother could mark up my papers like she was painting abstractly. In that case, do not feel afraid to take that child’s paper for a spin, parents! I encourage you to look over the comments the teacher has made and talk about them with your child. Do not be afraid to ask if he or she understands as to why the teacher has made such remarks – whether in agreement or not. If you show the child that you’re trying to understand his or her writing, he or she will try to better understand his or her writing as well. In fact, doing such a simple deed will make him or her realize the sour writing moments and the masterful writing moments – without too much of the “mommy was right” or daddy was right”. But just a warning, if you’re one of those parents who likes to fix your son and daughter’s mistakes without questioning, please try and refrain from doing so. Go through each awkward sentence and see if your child knows what he or she did wrong. Let your child learn from his or her mistakes, not your corrections – leave that for the teacher.
Alas, writing is a very intricate part of a student’s life. It is for expression, creativity, a release. Just to pay simple attention to what is being written between the lines opens a whole other understanding of the adolescent world that is high school – a world of learning.
What teachers can do:
High school English teachers, you all know very well that high
school students have very strong opinions on particular topics. In that case, I suggest that you allow your students to choose the topics for their papers. This can be done simply by having class discussions over current events. But, I’d advise that you allow your students to lead the discussions. Another way is to allow your students to explore the reading materials that you have available in the classroom. You never know when something completely off topic may spark an idea in a student’s head for a paper to be written over a concept found in an infamous Poe poem. Of course, there is no shame in giving your students a specific amount of choices to chose from – this will only keep them on target for their current writing goals – whatever they may be.
What parents can do:
Parents, when it comes to your children trying to chose an
ingenious paper topic for their next writing assignment, you are very valuable tools in their success as writers. In fact, this enables you to get involved with what you’re children is learning! Say your child is struggling to come up with an astonishing topic over Poe’s The Raven - go ahead and read the poem as well! By doing so, you have the power to begin educational conversations: “When I read this poem, this stanza really stuck out at me.” A little nudge such as this will help the child grow curious and will encourage him or her to read that same stanza; and eventually, you two will be discussing over the why’s and why nots –brainstorming!
So there you have it folks. Even though your teenagers may show resentment towards adult figures, whether an English teachers or parents, they still want that adult approval; and once a student realizes: “Oh.They really do like my topic,” that long awaited motivation AND interest to write has finally bloomed! But hold on a minute folks, your interest doesn’t stop here. The editing process is the most important part of the writing cycle!
When it comes to the editing process of any writing assignment, students (like myself) grow a writer’s complex. Now, this complex can be very positive or very negative. In other words, students can be either too proud or too ashamed to allow their written pieces to be shared with other writers. In that case, it is important to vary the ways students partake in the editing process.
What teachers can do:
I strongly advise for teachers to set up weekly conferences with all of their students; and as English teachers, I encourage all of you to allow the student to begin the discussion over their own work –what parts are strong, what parts need improvement, what parts are creating confusion and struggle? By doing so, the teacher is able to see the thought processes that follow through the student’s writing; and through these thought processes, the teacher can either agree or disagree with a student’s review of their own written work. But, there would mostly likely hardly any conflict with the matter of different opinions. Most importantly, if a teacher were to have conferences every week for the time allowed for every writing assignment, both the student and the teacher can witness improvement or even fallbacks. Also, these constant meetings will only help to promote a more accurate grade for the final piece.
What parents can do:
Not to digress, but my mother could mark up my papers like she was painting abstractly. In that case, do not feel afraid to take that child’s paper for a spin, parents! I encourage you to look over the comments the teacher has made and talk about them with your child. Do not be afraid to ask if he or she understands as to why the teacher has made such remarks – whether in agreement or not. If you show the child that you’re trying to understand his or her writing, he or she will try to better understand his or her writing as well. In fact, doing such a simple deed will make him or her realize the sour writing moments and the masterful writing moments – without too much of the “mommy was right” or daddy was right”. But just a warning, if you’re one of those parents who likes to fix your son and daughter’s mistakes without questioning, please try and refrain from doing so. Go through each awkward sentence and see if your child knows what he or she did wrong. Let your child learn from his or her mistakes, not your corrections – leave that for the teacher.
Alas, writing is a very intricate part of a student’s life. It is for expression, creativity, a release. Just to pay simple attention to what is being written between the lines opens a whole other understanding of the adolescent world that is high school – a world of learning.