I loved Anderson's concept of writing in a journal or notebook very often in a classroom. I was always so jealous in high school when I saw teacher's using this method to instruct writing workshops, because I never had a teacher who ran their classroom using this way of teaching. Anderson began his section by saying, "...I know how most students see these corrections: as X's over their souls, their desires, their thoughts." This really got me, because I can not imagine why any teacher could have the heart to tear apart a piece of work that a student constructed. It amazes me that this is still happening everyday in classrooms. I can not imagine telling a student that his/her work is awful and redirecting them how to write! I remember my first year of college, I had a professor that was so rude (at my previous college --- not Ship!), and I asked him to look over my paper for me while editing in class one day. He read the first page of my paper and tore it up in front of the class and said it was awful and I completely missed the point of the book. I was mortified and that day I decided I was not going to be an Engish Major, because of what a teacher told me about my writing. After serious thinking, I obviously did not change me major, but that day will always stick with me. He did me a great favor actually, because I knew what kind of teacher not to be.
But getting back to the Anderson's text, he had some wonderful ideas about how to get students to ease into the writing process. He stated that at the beginning of the year, he would begin class by reading students a passage out of a novel, magazine, ect and then allow them to think about it and begin writing. If some students were hesistant about writing still, he would nudge them along by suggesting a topic to begin writing about. Sooner or later, each student would begin to write and share their work out of their journals. He would then build up the students by pointing out the positives of their work. I just really liked this idea and look forward to possibly applying this to my classroom someday!
Anderson also talks about establishing a checklist for students, so they can begin to recongize their mistakes. Teachers' can begin the "Editor's Checklist" by writing up simple rules such as: Capitalization Rules, Apostrophes, Commas, & Run-on Sentences. Soon the student will begin to look for these and possibly come up with their own rules to add to the list.
I cannot believe that a professor would do something like that! It is good that you were able to learn from that experience and did not let it change your plans. I honestly do not understand what teachers think that they accomplish by being negative and unhelpful towards students. I agree that these types of practices show prospective teachers how they should refrain from behaving toward their students.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the writing journals are an amazing idea, particularly the way to introduce them to a class. I loved Anderson's use of the bullying memoir and think that it really starts students off well in multiple ways.
I'll refrain from commenting too much on your experience with that professor, since it will send me into spiral of incoherent rage. But I will second Erica's words above in pointing out how counterproductive an attitude like that is in instilling knoweledge, rather than fear or resentment. In my opinion, if someone really has that attitude towards their students and their work, they shouldn't be teaching at all. I'll step off that soapbox now before the rage begins...
ReplyDeleteI also loved the idea in starting off the class with a reading from an autobiography. I think that it is a good genre to begin with because it encourages students to reflect upon and write about their own experiences.
I feel hesitant about the edior's checklist, as it somewhat reminds me of those forced upon me by teachers. Rather than address mistakes I specifically made, I would be told to refer to the list. Not helpful at all. Obviously, Anderson's checklist was probably tailor-made to suit the student's needs and that would be the approach I would taking in providing one.
I'm sorry about your rude professor, and I'm sorry that you never had a high school experience of journal writing. I actually did, so I'll just share my experience with that. In my 9th grade English class, Mrs. Metzger gave each of us a journal on the first day. About 2 times a week we did journal entries. I LOVED THAT. The topics were always different and interesting. She never graded our journals. They remained free of pen markings. The only thing Mrs. Metzger wrote in our journals were questions, praise, or just agreeance. I remember writing about how I had finished every book that John Grisham had written up to that point in his career. I wrote about how much I enjoyed him, and when I recieved my journal back the next week, she had asked in the margins if I aspired to be a lawyer.(Grisham's books are centered around the theme of law) Of course this spurred a discussion of how I actually wanted to be a teacher. Now that I look back, it is clear to me that she was using journaling as a way to learn about us and give us a way to express ourselves freely. She improved our writing in other activites of course, but journaling was our "free-to-be-me" activity. I have learned so much from that.
ReplyDeleteNot to beat a dead horse by these other comments but your professor must have fell off the bed that morning and just so happen to take it out on you. You point out how Anderson says, "...I know how most students see these corrections: as X's over their souls, their desires, their thoughts." I think we all experienced this. Actually when I went home this weekend my own father decided to read a paper of mine and completely ripped it apart in front of my siblings and their friends. I was on the verge of tears and he did not realize until afterwards the damage he has done.
ReplyDeletewhich is exactly why I think your point about Andersen's comment, "He would then build up the students by pointing out the positives of their work." is what we should be working towards. We tend to only look at the bad aspects of the paper we tend to forget what positives a paper has.
Just to share my experience with journaling:
ReplyDeleteI started journaling in 3rd grade as a class assignment. Every day we were giving a topic and a few minutes to write. I have since continued journaling, and I absolutely love it. At times I have found it be the only ear that I have - and that just blows me away to think that my own thoughts can have that kind of power.
Anyway, my point for sharing this is to affirm the use of journals! I am a strong writer, and that is something that I am finally coming to believe after years and years of teachers and professors telling me so. I think that journaling really fostered that, and if we give our students that same power that I found, they will astound us.
The only comment that I will make about your professor is that he is an example of just how detrimental a teacher can be to a students writing. I just keep imagining how much more his behavior would have effected you if you had been a Freshman in high school, and had not already at least semi-established a love for English. There are so many young students are instantly turned off to English by teachers who don't know how to properly ease students into it.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I agree with you about the importance of journaling,especially the kind of journaling that Anderson encourages, where students are able to write without the fear of being edited and critiqued. It gives them an opportunity to just write, and learn to love it, before being limited.
"Anderson also talks about establishing a checklist for students, so they can begin to recongize their mistakes. Teachers' can begin the "Editor's Checklist" by writing up simple rules such as: Capitalization Rules, Apostrophes, Commas, & Run-on Sentences. Soon the student will begin to look for these and possibly come up with their own rules to add to the list. "
ReplyDeleteI like this idea as well. And like you said, by doing this students will be able to notice their own mistakes. This takes away from the evil red pen strategy. I had a teacher once that refused to mark up our papers in red pen, rather she would use happy colors such as purple or green... it actually worked, well for me anyway... But that's a little off topic.... Anyway, I feel that if a student or even a peer can look over another student's work it begins to seem less intimidating than a teacher looking over every letter and punctuation.
As for that professor of yours... all i can say is RUDE! But I'm really glad you could take that awful event as a positive towards your future! :)
I really enjoyed reading your post! I have had similar experiences with professors and I am so glad that I did not listen to them because they would have hindered my voice and my writing. I think that those kinds of teachers are extremely toxic for students. I could never be that type of editor. Because of these experiences, students are only looking for a way to write papers to receive a good grade, and that saddens me. Many times students receive feedback with not direction or explanation. This does not provide a student with a confidence in their writing, and most students would never want to ask what something means when they feel belittled by their writing.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely glad that you can look past the negativity of your previous professor, because clearly he was wrong. You wouldn't be where you are today if you had listened to him, and he seems like an idiot.