Assessing Student Writing

                The first part of Gallagher’s chapter seven reminds me of the way in everyone in the class has expressed their feelings about their own writing. I began to wonder what it is about writing that makes people so self-conscious and critical. I know for me I always think about if it is good enough. Usually when I feel I have written something that I think is not that good I ignore it and try not to look at it ever again. Although I know that the more you look over your writing the better it gets. As I kept reading Gallagher I started to think of all the ways teachers in my past have given me the confidence to write. I can only think of one teacher in the tenth grade. I had an English teacher who always told me that the only competitor I had in writing was myself and that stuck with me throughout high school. But somewhere along the line I lost confidence in writing when I stumbled upon a teacher whose favorite color was red. I had never seen so many red marks on a paper in my life. From that teacher on I always felt that I was not a good write and so I avoided writing.

                I like when Gallagher says: “it is unrealistic to think I am going to make every one of my 165 students a strong writer. It is realistic, however, to begin each year with the goal that every student of mine, regardless of ability, is going to get better.” (Gallagher 142) I do not want to assume but I think that some teachers are so fixated on standards that they forget that all students have different circumstances and ways of learning. If all teachers just compared each student to their own work then things could be a little better. I think the challenge with this is the pace of the curriculum and having specific amount of time to get things done in the classroom; that is why it is important to have students write as much as possible. I also like the way Gallagher talk about the basic skills every good writer should know and have. I believe that there are a set of skills which every good writer needs in order to write the best way they can.

                Christensen like Gallagher seems to have students writing down to a science reminding me of our class discussion about format and formula. Seems like both Gallagher and Christensen have a formulaic way of helping students become better writers. What I like most about Christensen is that her grading policy was fair and student-centered. I like how she used the words “polish” and “rework” in substitute of correcting a paper. Also like that she explained that “homework is an extension of the work in class” because it goes along with class participation which is required in the class.  If I were a student reading Christensen’s grading policy I would feel as though I have a great chance to pass.