Share Your Writing Life

This chapter spoke to me in a number of ways which gave me thought on how I can improve my teaching strategies to benefit my students. When thinking about my individual students I feel I need to make more time for conversation before writing. I have a tendency to want to get started and I think this is a great encourager, the conversation. I also agree with the author as she states, "Demonstrating the writing process does bond the classroom together into a community. " This type of classroom setting then provides a safe haven for writers. When reflecting, every year I need to make my students more successful so they will relax and stop asking, "How long does it have to be?" I did find myself writing guilty in the column of my book when reading and thinking about my teaching style. I don't want to be guilty of draining my writers. I am looking forward to writing with my students next week in a better tone.

Start with Celebration

This chapter titled, Start with Celebration, I've retitled "See Fireworks." I teach struggling students, so when the author wrote about complimenting the student who had only written the title of his paper, "Happy Thanksgiving" I could really relate. We can all relate to encouraging words given us. We've probably all personally seen the effect shared writing has on our class. On page, 20, the author states, "The hardest part is finding and creating a topic and purpose that will get them excited about writing." I usually at some point in the year, have my students make a list of things they would like to write about, but I still find this hard because some students just seem to draw blanks. I think this is why sharing really helps all writers, when they see the enthusiasm of others, it is contagious and helps them.

Simplify the Teaching of Writing

Chapter One, Simply the Teaching of Writing, or in my words, "The Buy In." This author strongly believes and emphasizes we need need to buy into her writing program. That's easy. Who wouldn't want to buy into a teaching style that she promotes as easier and more manageable or as she states streamlining the process. Plus her central thought is that writing should be enjoyable and fun. Anyone who really enjoys writing or whatever they are doing in life would surely automatically increase their talents in that given area. They would attain the goal of becoming a confident skilled person and this would lead to an independent person, the ultimate goal of teaching. I'm ready to take her journey. Of course, it helps that I need to in order to complete this class. But I am intrigued by her ideas.