"In many classrooms, students write with very little frequency;therefore, they often have a negative attitude about the process of writing" (B & B 5).
I couldn't have said it better myself. Growing up, I was under the impression that reading was a lost art. Everywhere I looked, no one seemed to be reading, yet it was constantly being encouraged. But unless it was a required text, no one I knew read books. Looking back on my public education upbringing, I wish I would have read more often, but instead, I took pleasure in writing. I'd pour my thoughts on paper and approach every sentence searching for perfection. Each sentence was a puzzle to me. A puzzle that required ten to twenty pieces, but I had thousands of pieces to choose from. I always wanted to find the perfect combination to make it sound just right. With that said, I plan to bring back the art of writing in my classrooms. Before anyone makes any assumptions about me forgetting how important reading is, which is bad because when you assume, you make a....well never mind, I'll keep it PG. But anyways, I do recognize that there is a huge amount of importance in reading. Reading and writing basically go hand in hand. Without one, you can't improve on the other.
From this chapter, I enjoyed the section on how beneficial a "letter to the teacher" can be. I have used this technique before and enjoyed it. I feel that it is a great way for a teacher to better understand the backgrounds of his or her students and get a better overall feeling of where the class stands as writers. This technique should be used throughout the year to increase communication between teacher and student which will hopefully lead to a more comfortable classroom atmosphere.
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I think Andrew chose a great quote to base his response on. In high school and middle school classes students tend to view writing in the same way they view math problems, tedious and useless. Of course as future English teachers we all gasp in shock that any would believe something that is so clearly untrue. But the fact is that even if we do manage to show students the extreme significance of the written word, getting them to feel comfortable with their own writing is another challenge. As this chapter suggests, I think the best way to overcome this insecurity is to write often in the classroom. As Nancie Atwell recommended in Chapter 1 of "In the Middle" the teacher should participate in writing exercises with students and share his or her work with the class. This open atmosphere can encourage students to gain confidence in their own writing, as well.
I love that you liked to write while you were growing up...there's a great future in it, you know! And for you to plan to bring that forefront in your classroom is wonderful.
That's a great idea, to use writing letters to the teacher throughout the year...we think to do it at the beginning and end, but how telling it could be to do it along the way!
I like that quote a lot too--I think I wrote so infrequently--especially anything about myself or my life--that I just didn't know how to do it, and therefore had that negative attitude. Even now, I am just starting to learn about my own writing styles and the fact that I actually do enjoy it, especially when I have a set amount of time to just be able to freewrite, to let my thoughts go. I never before realized, probably until this year, how hard writing is but also how rewarding it is.
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