Chapter 12: Teach Writing Your Way

Wow...reading this chapter, I am completely guilty of having my students do an assignment that I have not done myself first. I am guilty of not writing myself. The only time I have really taken the time to journal was when I studied abroad in England. I kept a journal that I wrote in everyday. I wanted to remember every moment of my time there. I need to do better at writing in my spare time and learn to love it before I expect my students to want to write. I really like the index card writing. A lot of the time my students will stare at a piece of paper and say "I have nothing to write about." An index card is not as intimidating as a big, blank notebook paper. I am sure that if students continue to jot their story down and not worry about grammar, spellling, etc then they can come up with great writing pieces. The hard part is getting your idea. Once a student has an idea in mind then they can write more and more about that topic. I am sure the first card compared to the fourth card is very different. I love the part that says writers welcome surprise. They are the happiest when they write what they do not intend. A lot of the time your vision of your writing piece is different than your final copy. Writers need to be patient! They are not going to whip out a final draft in 20 minutes. It takes time! The one area my students don't understand about writing is rewriting. I always make them do a sloppy copy. They hate after revisions that I make them do it again. I have showed them famous authors that have to write several drafts before completing their final draft. Writing is work, and many of my students don't want to do it! This is partly my fault. I have not taught my students the love of writing. I hope in the future to teach my students that they have a voice within, and it is their right to express it!