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.