Making Writing Meaningful For Youth

When Gallagher says, "Tests come and go, but attitudes about writing can be lifelong” (Gallagher 93) it reminds me of many people I went to school with. I never really thought about how writing about things that I was not interested in would mark me in a negative way. After reading Gallagher’s chapter 5 I started to think about how I feel about a writing assignment and most of the time I do not want to do it but as far as writing in general do not mind it; although I can see how there would be negative feelings towards writing. Most times a teacher in school assigned something I remember it was about something I did not care for and so I never put all my effort into the writing. But when it came to a research paper where I could choose the topic I was so excited to write about something I cared about and put my best foot forward. I really enjoyed the two guiding principles of a writing classroom. I agreed with the first principle the most: “Sometimes we have to take a step backward before we can move forward.” The principal is self-explanatory. How can students excel and be highly skilled of something they are not good at in the first place.

On the other hand I agree with the myth of the boring topic. Much like Gallagher I too would change things around in the classroom and give the topics the state demands a different twist. In order to do something like this in your classroom I think it is important to see at what level is every student in and writing and get to know them as people. It is sort of connecting to the idea Christensen has in chapter two talking about teaching narrative writing in the classroom. Every student or any one in general has their own narrative and their own point of view and so that means every student will bring a different style of writing to the classroom. I think teaching narrative in writing is important especially personal narrative writing because like Gallagher says what better way to teach writing than to show students to love the beauty in it. I think that personal narratives can be the root of a sense of community in the classroom to match up with the idea of Christensen’s read along. When the classroom feels more like a community than an instructional setting students can have confidence in themselves, their peers, the teacher and ultimately do well in academics.

The language of Standards

            After reading the NCTE / IRA Standards for the English Language Arts I was curious as to when and how all of these standards would be achieved. I also began to ask what grade or ages are these standards set for. I did notice that most of these standards match the article on ncte.org. For example when the article suggests to not take away a student’s first language but teach them to be flexible like standard number four says to adjust their way of spoken, visual and written language to communicate with different audiences. I feel as though some of these standards are fair but I would like to ask how they will be approached in making sure the student meets the standards. I like the way these standards are set so that there are diverse perspectives to be taught to students and seems to be a customized set of standards. I just cannot help but to be alarmed with the control of the standards and also what if the student does not abide by the standards, what happens then?

            I have a problem with the standards on the English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 9-10 because like mentioned in the introduction of Christensen’s Teaching For Joy and Justice not all students in a classroom will be up to par. I think that as teachers we have to find a way to be most effective and less judgmental. When these standards are set they are not set for one specific student and not all students will be the same or learn at the same pace so the fact that these standards are precisely for the ninth and tenth grade troubles me.

            I do agree that there should be some sort of way to measure the level in which a students is at but there has to be a better way to decide whether or not a student is up to par to go into the next grade. I do not agree with standardized testing and how it has been set up for students to pass or fail. Most cases the student is not at fault for whether or not they have gained all the skills they need to level up in their education careers. There has to be some observation and information gathered to change the pedagogy in education so that students are exceling at a decent pace.

The Politics of teaching writing: Ideologies and discourses

                        Blad discusses a how poverty has made so many minds of students stagnant. When people think of students in poverty they think of students who are not smart or do not have skills that students of higher social economic have. This reminds me of a young man I went to high school with. The kid was so smart and he had all the skills but our environment led him to believe that he was not “good enough” for the real world or college. We went all through high school knowing his deepest secret; he was a genius story teller and poet. I remember how he always used to say that not one teacher thought he was smart and why did I push him to do better. He always said that people like him and I have no chance in getting out. Much like Blad who talks about growth mindset and changing certain qualities with hard work, I too believe that hard work can change qualities in students for the better.

            Blad’s article relates to the article on ncte.org who talks about the different purposes behind writing. The article on ncte.org reminds of when Christensen says that every student has their own story to tell; every student had something different to bring to the table. As future educators I think we have to keep in mind that all students will write differently even if they are skilled in writing they won’t all write the same. I think that is the beauty of writing and different perspectives – the different narratives. What would the literary canon look like if every author who ever write a poem, book, or essay wrote in the same form and with the same stories to tell? I think it would be quite boring. We must find a way to let students be themselves and also obtain the skills to express them in the best way possible. My favorite part of the article on ncte.org is: “The ultimate goal is not to leave students where they are, however, but to move them toward greater flexibility, so that they can write not just for their own intimates but for wider audiences. Teachers will want to engage in respectful inquiry with students about significant differences between patterns in their use of their first language and more conventionally written English.”  I like that they mentioned that we mustn’t teach students to erase who they are and the language they speak but to teach them to be skilled with both using their own language and the conventional English. Also the part where the article says “engage in respectful inquiry” is a key part for me because of the word respectful. Often times students in poverty do not feel they are shown respect and then they shut down so if we can find a way to show students respect and respect their language and writing style things can go a better direction for education as a whole.  

Becoming/Being a Writer: Writing teachers as writers

                The introduction of Christensen’s Teaching for Joy and Justice was absolutely enjoyable. It felt good to read about a teacher who is passionate about students and their worth. When I think of Christensen unfortunately I cannot think of any of the teachers I have had. Also the approach that Christensen had with teaching is the same approach that I learned to take in a classroom in the summertime teaching at Breakthrough Providence. We were told to create a safe space for the kids to feel comfortable enough to be themselves much like Christensen when she says: “I must construct a classroom where students feel safe enough to be wild and risky in their work.” That part resonated with me so much because I think it is important to help boost confidence and self-awareness in students so that they can be the best version of themselves and ultimately be great citizens of the world. Also when helping boost a student’s confidence and showing them that they matter and are intelligent, it opens up the doors to so many risks to be better learners. Christensen’s approach to changing the pedagogy is needed today more than ever with how fast the world is changing around us and although academics is very important being appreciated as a students is just as much a priority.

                When I read Gallagher I felt as though she had almost an opposite of approach of the one Christensen did. I can understand where Gallagher is coming from because academics is vital when it comes to moving forward as a student. Gallagher was much more impacted by test scores and a student ability to read and right which is good but I think that she has ignored the fact that not all students come from the same literary experiences. When I think about Gallagher’s first chapter I think of a more systematic approach. I recall Gallagher also mentioning how other languages could interfere with learning when Christensen thinks it is good to enhance those qualities of a student.

                Then there is To High School English Teachers (And All Teachers) which for me felt like a combination of both Christensen and Gallagher. From what I understood this blog post was about how important English teachers are to the experience of learning. The blog post felt more like a change in the pedagogy but to remain true to significance of literary skills. What stuck out to me the most in the blog post was this: “we are apt to lose sight of our central purpose in teaching English—our students.” I agree with this line because I remember being in English classes where I would cringe from the idea of reading such “boring books” and writing essays time after time. I do not remember ever being appreciated for who I was and what I wrote. So much like Christensen says we need to teach for joy and justice and like Gallagher never leave academics behind. The combination of both authors tactics should influence the change of the pedagogy and we can see more success from students no matter the race, class, or gender.