Teaching of Writing Philosophy

"It has occurred to me lately that writing and running have quite a bit in common. Both take dedication and practice, and both abilities disappear if they are not used."
~Cynthia D. Urbanski
Using the Workshop Approach in the High School English Classroom

I believe that…
 Teaching writing should be a transactional process between the student and teacher.
 I am not only a teacher of writing, but a coach of writing whose goal is to enable my students to find their authentic voice, develop their own process for writing, and discover creative ways to communicate ideas to their intended audience.
 I have as much to learn from my students as they have to learn from me.
 Learning is individual, different for everyone, flexible, and various assessment strategies should be used to measure success.
 I should assess my own teaching strategies based on the needs of my students.
 It is important to emphasize student strengths and respond positively to success and improvement.
 Learning proceeds best when learners find the learning personally meaningful in the here and now, when they have the sense that “I can do this” (Learning Theory and the Teaching of Grammar, Constance Weaver, p. 4)
 It is my responsibility to demonstrate to my students the strategies that work for me in writing so that they are able to see that as a writer, I share the same struggles that they face. In doing so, it is my intention to motivate my students and help them see the value of writing.
 It is my responsibility to maintain a classroom that my students feel safe and comfortable in. They should feel comfortable sharing thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. They should feel respected and valued as individuals and as a community of growing writers.
 It is my responsibility to provide my students with authentic learning experiences by engaging them in writing that has personal meaning and attachment, providing them the opportunity to learn from their own real life experiences which are valuable and unique in individual ways.
 Dictionaries and thesauruses are useful tools. They were not intended for hiding money or pressing flowers. They should not gather dust on the shelf. The pages of each should be worn and possibly frayed. Both should be within arm’s reach when revising or editing work.
 There are distinct differences in writing, revising, and editing. Writing the initial draft of a piece may include freewriting, which is an opportunity to get thoughts from head to paper, no matter how messy the outcome. Revising is a way to revisit those ideas, flush them out and begin to polish a piece. Revising may be a multi-step process. Editing is carefully reviewing the grammar, punctuation, and spelling, in a piece that is ready to be presented as the final product.
 Language expresses the power of the individual imagination and that nurturing a person’s reading and writing abilities enables the development of that power. (Literacy and the Politics of Education, C.H. Knoblauch, p.78) Writing frequently and consistently is the only way to develop that power to its full potential. I also believe that reaching this power is an emergent and continual process that takes place over the course of a lifetime.
 Students should have a “safe space” to write, free from the eyes of others, including the teacher. The Day Book is my personal space where my thoughts can find paper and I can cut, paste, and rearrange ideas so they can begin to make sense. It is my space that is a spring board for work and later projects. In my classroom, the Day Book will be that “safe space.”
 Evaluation of student writing should include thoughtful response to the work. It should encourage and empower students to write more.
 Students should be given multiple opportunities to polish a piece of writing so that they can see the value of the writing process and grow as writers.
 It is necessary to provide students with many opportunities for conferencing about their writing with me and with other students.
 When assessing student writing, grammatical issues are not the first and primary concern. Grammar should be taught as the student needs instruction and this instruction should be tailored to fit the student’s needs.
 It is necessary for writers of all levels to maintain a process portfolio that includes multiple drafts of pieces and experiments with multiple genres of writing.
 Reflective letters should be written after an assignment is completed and turned in with the final product. This will allow the student to explain his process and give me insight into the piece. This type of reflection is necessary for both student and teacher so that a student can explain his reasoning behind choices he makes as a writer, and so that the teacher can respond as a reader in ways that will encourage the student and enable him to write more.
 Finally, I do not believe that student writing should be restricted by form. When a student’s form of writing is restricted, his authentic voice is stifled and growth for the writer will not come naturally.