When I was in elementary school my father was concerned that I wasn’t getting the attention I needed to my writing because my handwriting was atrocious. He had our next door neighbor tutor me for three summers in a row in writing. She had been a teacher and had retired to our neighborhood from Maine. Such an interesting lady. She would have me read a book of my choice and I had to turn in book reports to her. I would have to revise if there were too many errors and I would have to do writing exercises at her house for two hours everyday. It sounds extreme to some, but my father instilled in me a work ethic that I still use today and my tutor gave me the ability to read something and comprehend what I was reading as well as write about it.

In middle school I can recall multiple projects that I did that allowed my writing to further develop. My 8th Grade English teacher Mrs. Steerwalt gave many opportunities for her students to write and express themselves creatively. The interesting thing is that we as the students had to periodically pick a piece of writing and read it to the class in front of a camera. She wanted us to feel comfortable expressing ourselves while practicing our public speaking skills. Activities like this allowed me to compete in a school wide competition for the Optimist Club. This club had members of the community that held this competition for middle school students. The students would give a speech about what goals we had for the future and what we expected from life. I ended up getting third place out of about 120 students and this was a major confidence boost for me in my writing skill and ability to express myself. It was after my speech experience that I began to keep a journal and write my own poetry. I never really have done anything with it in a public venue other than writing them for my father who proudly displays them in his judge’s office. The importance of writing for me began as a release of emotion and it wasn’t until I got to highschool that I realized that I needed to harness that emotion and focus it into cohesive and clear statements.

My first experience of harsh writing criticism occurred in my junior year of high school with Mrs. Arthur. She had the tendency to make my papers bleed. Considering that my writing had always been received positively until that point was a rude awakening for me. I was in honors english classes all through high school and so the important thing for our teachers to get across was how to write for the test we would take to klep out of college 1301 by our senior year of high school. Needless to say grammar was not the main focus of my writing until I entered Mrs. Arthur’s class. She was a structure “nazi” to coin a phrase and would not let anyone slide an inch. In this class I learned to take criticism and learned revision on another level.  In high school, however, I also met one of the people who inspired me to become a teacher. Mr. Farrington taught freshman english and psychology honors class for seniors. He was an amazing teacher that emphasized appropriate language in his class room. Whenever a person would speak or write in his classroom it had to be thought out and polite. He would not stand for people to speak just to hear the sound of their own voice and felt that any type of writing needed to make a point and go somewhere. This attitude was very influential in how I view my own education and ability to write. Though I have grown from that point, and still have farther to go, I would say that his attitude towards writing is one that made a important impact on my own writing process.

The next phase of my writing process, I would have to say, came from my undergrad at LCU here in Lubbock. My professor Dr. Blassingame is the one teacher that I would want to emulate if I could emulate anyone. Many of the attitudes I take toward analyzing texts and actively reading come from the english classes that I took from her. The revision process with Dr. Blassingame was taken even further for me from high school in that she required at least three to four revisions on a paper that she had to read before the paper could be turned in.  She spent so much one on one time on revision and paying attention to the big problems first and then narrowing down with each revision to the more minute details. I think that her teaching style and committment to her students success made a lasting impression upon the effort that good writing requires as well as good teaching.

My literacy process would have to be characterized by the idea of trial and error. I have tried, failed, and learned to improve. I have never had the innate ability to write that some may be blessed with, and I owe a lot of abilities to my father who continually instills in me the need to work at something to be good at it. This work ethic has carried over into my class room performances and allowed my teachers to guide me in the right directions acquiring techniques that I still use today in my own writing. There are probably many more instances of literacy realization that have occurred in my life, however, upon reflection these experiences would have to be the most influential.

The most important thing I try to remember is to listen to my students feedback. When they ask questions or misunderstand it is because I have done something that is confusing or have not been clear. That is the one thing that makes me a rflective practiconer for sure. If I am not clear about how I write directions or how I give them to my students then how can I expect them to be clear in their own writing. I’m sorry this prompt is late.

I’m not sure if this question is asking what students and teacher should know in general or what they should know for a particular class on any particular day. So I will address both.

In general I think that an FYC teacher should come class having a grasp of what good writing is and feel confident in the ability to relate that to another person. Not to say that a person needs to have taught before this class because they could be a natural and do a tremendous job. However, my bachelors in education is a tool that I fall back on constantly when teach. I know personally that I had the attitude to teach long before I knew what it took to teach a concept to another person. I think some teaching experience would be greatly beneficial for no other reason than confidence inside the classroom.

In class, a teacher should be prepared for class and know the material. How can you expect your students to learn a topic if you don’t take the time to learn it as well. Preparation is key in teaching and if the effort is put in outside of the classroom than it will reflect in their teaching.

Students in general should know how to construct an essay. I know many people might say grammar but as a person who took honors classes for english in high school I can attest that past middle school I hardly ever dealt with grammar beyond writing in a paper. We focused on writing and even though we did not specifically deal with grammar we did learn through writing what to do and what not to do. I don’t know if this was the best way but, being able to construct an essay I think would be very helpful.

For a class FYC students should come to class prepared. If they are not I would use plan b as an opportunity to teach them something anyway. If a student doesn’t read and can’t answer the question I would make them read the section where the answer is located in front of the class and then have them answer the question. Yes, it may be a bit embarrassing, but they will have at least acquired the knowledge of the answer and will likely not forget to be prepared in the future.

I think that I grade the way I do because I have an affinity for effort. For me effort can be as simple as following all the assignment direction. Yes, there can be mistakes made and things forgotten but something as simple as following directions can be the effort I am looking for when I am grading. I sometimes get so completely frustrated grading assignments that have just been slopped together when I know there are other kids working as hard as they can and still may not get a good grade.

There are those cases that show a lot of effort but the assignment is done wrong. This where I like Dr. Rickly’s idea of an content grade and grammatical/assignment grade. This would allow the work done to still be positive for the student but teach them also to follow instructions. It is the worst feeling, when you see a student that attempted to do the assignment and you can tell there was thought and effort put into the assignment but it was just done incorrectly. I think that by doing two different grades I can cover both areas. I would want to give credit when effort is put into an assignment.

  Is everything an answer ha ha? The one thing that I have been wrestling with is how to discuss the writing process with my students. It is getting closer to draft 1.1 and I want to give them a guide to help them focus their ideas and writing style. We have discussed so many ideas dealing with group work and how to teach writing I find myself at an impass. They all seem like plausible examples and I know not everyone writes the same way so how many should I do? Or should I just pick one and stick with it? I just don’t want to be the reason my students are confused about something. I think that is my biggest fear! I fear that I will be more a hindrance to my students than a help.

The most suprising realization for me was the fact that these “all knowing” professors started out just like me. I mean logically we all that our professors come from some magical place and were given the gift of knowledge where they apparently know everything ha ha ha (Just Kidding)! It is just refreshing to hear that the feeling of not knowing everything is universal and apparently never goes away. The “theme” of continuous learning is one that I truly loved because I know that I will forever be a student whether I am teaching or taking the class myself. I have never been one of those people that closes myself off to different answers because they weren’t my own and I think that will help in my teaching further down the road.

The most inspiring thing is that all of these teachers still truly love what they do. I know that’s how it’s going to be for me and I think that’s how it should be. Teaching is such a giving profession and when you lose that will to give a part of yourself to each class then both you and your students miss out on that connection. It was good to hear that even after all that time that many of teachers truly are happy in what they do. The one quote that truly struck a chord with me was Sanchez when he said “learn to read your students papers without a pen your hand”. I LOVE THAT! Appreciate things for what they are.

My writing process would probably best be described as organized chaos. I take things a piece at a time as the ideas come, especially with longer papers. I think I get a sense of being overwhelmed if I have to think of situations as a gigantic obstacle. However, I break things down I can accomplish my goal with focus. I think my writing would flow better and I wouldn’t have to work on transitions as much if I could think of my ideas cohesively instead of trying to connect them as an after thought. I think that process is very vaulable and we should take that into account when we think of how we teach students to write. A students process is very personal and by forcing them to do an assignment one way instead of their way may hinder their writing ability. I think we should show different techniques but leave room for flexibility so their process can be present but maybe more focused if that’s what needs to happen.

I believe that “voice” is truly important when teaching and grading. I feel that students of this generation never get a chance to voice their opinion. They are told, more often than not, what to think before they have a chance to think for themselves. Even after presidental debates we are bombarded with one view point or another immediately following the speeches. I also feel tath voice is important with teach because it allows students a way to connect to what they are writing. If they have to take each topic from an arms length point of view how can we ask them to get involved with their writing. “Voice” can bring a new level of involvement for students and give them motivation to learn more about their topic instead of focusing on what others have already said about it. Give them the chance to agree or disagree.

The idea of grading voice is an area that is hard for me. I have issue with grading a paper harshly based on grammar when they have poured out their heart and soul in an essay. I think the answer is to teach them audience and then give them a journal outlet for true personal voice responses. Maybe seeing the difference between the two will help them find a balance.

The basics that we teach our students are the best tools that we can arm with to think critically about the world around them. These basics train the mind to assess information and analyze it. It is amazing how some students were never taught to do this high school. Having a passing grade is not learning and re-teaching this to a student who always got straight A’s is a difficult task. I look back at my own teachers and feel blessed that I had instructors and high school teachers who were willing to push us to make our own conclusions. I want to be a teacher that students look back on and think the same thing.

If I view composition in light of the second part of the question the one thing that comes to mind is clarity. When writing or composing anything one wants to make what they are trying to say clear and concise. Any teacher that I have not liked or had issue with has been a teacher that is unclear in their teaching style and how they convey their information. Clarity is definitely important to composition and to the teaching profession.

Another word or concept that comes to mind is style. There are different styles that everyone can relate to in the world of compostion and the world of teaching. It is the ability to grow and adapt that makes a person’s writing and teaching better and more accepted. If we can adapt our writing style to reach a particular audience I feel the same practice can be used in the classroom to reach more students. The only other word I can think of that is coming to mind is being organized. If our minds are chaos and unorganized our message or lesson is lost on our audiences and students.

I hope that answers the questions, I wasn’t quite clear on what was being asked but when I think about teaching these are the concepts I can link to composition. See everybody tomorrow in class