Literacy Autobiography

As a child, I enjoyed reading stories such as “Where the Wild Things Are,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “There’s an Alligator under my Bed,” “If you give a Mouse a Cookie,” “If you give a Moose a Muffin,” “If you give a Pig a Pancake,” and all of the Dr. Seuss books. I remember my passion for library trips at school and with my parents, and the way I felt when I had a hot new book which was actually pretty old. For example, “Where the Wild Things Are” was displayed on the display shelf at Thomas Haley Elementary, and I knew I had to check it out because it was the book everyone had been reading at the time, or had already read. Come to find out, this same so-called popular book was around when my dad was checking out books at his elementary school. At that time, I wasn’t too thrilled that my dad knew about this new book before I did, but now I am amazed at the thorough rotation of children’s books that have been carried through generations.

            My love for reading did not reflect my abilities in writing until about eighth grade. I was never the best writer grammatically or structurally, but I had a love for poetry. I didn’t read poetry as much as I wrote it, and I started writing it quite frequently. While in the eighth grade, I created a written journal with all of my poems. Occasionally, I would seek my English teacher’s advice on what he thought about certain poems, and to see if I really knew what I was doing. He was encouraging, and gave great criticism; with that I was able to create an elaborate and hardy journal of poems. Until one day, my family and I went to spend Christmas with my Grandmother in Vegas. I brought my journal with me on the trip. One afternoon, a couple of days before Christmas, we went out and returned to her home which had been burglarized. They left the Christmas presents and many other valuables, but they used my bag which had my poetry journal in it to take what they wanted. Since that day, I knew I wanted to write because I would have preferred them to have taken all of my Christmas presents than to have taken what I felt was a part of me, my poetry. Even as an adult, I feel as though I can never regain or recreate what I created as a child, its uniqueness and purity were stolen that day.

So, now I have this untamed desire to read and write continuously. My development as a writer is encouraged by my past, and I wish to grow into someone who is as unique and as pure as what I feel I once created. I wish to grow into someone who can be an influence to not only the classroom, but my family and peers. Literacy is a way of life for me, and I plan to read and write on exponential levels because it is what I actually love doing.

How can we learn from what we do/teach?  How can we continue to better ourselves as teachers?  What are some ways we can become “reflective practitioners”?

Regular journal writing is a way to thoroughly observe ourselves as instructors, and through our journals we can pinpoint what is effective and ineffective, where we have improved, and what still needs attention. The key to being reflective is to actually make changes when and where necessary. Being in close observance of our progression is a way of learning who we will become as instructors.

I think we all have an ideal type of instructor we would like to reach. This instructor may include characteristics from a variety of previous professors, someone we enjoyed in the past, or someone we made up from scratch. Striving to become someone who is that “ideal” instructor who can reach their students, and grow into the instructor who changed a student’s ideas about learning, shows the fruits of reflection.

What should you know??

What should a FYC teacher come to class knowing? What should a FYC student come to class knowing? How can we prepare for “Plan B” when they don’t?

First Year Composition is the foundation of critical writing and reading. These courses are set in place to provide a distinct means of effective communication for the variety of courses a student will encounter throughout their collegiate study. It is important for both the instructor and student to be well informed of what these courses will entail, and how to approach them in the most beneficial aspect.

An FYC instructor should know the material thouroughly, have an idea of a variety of classroom characteristics, and what approach s/he will take in response to those classroom characteristics. The instructor should know that all students are different and have different learning styles, s/he should have a standard way of presenting information, but also be willing to stretch her/his limbs to reach the irregular learning styles.

An FYC student should come to class knowing the basics. They should be fairly familiar with the high school senior level english, which sits as the foundation of FYC. The first course (1301) of FYC should be a review for most students, but it should also push them to a new, more compelling level of English writing. In a sense, these students should know enough to not find the material foreign, but an amount that provides room for pivotal improvement in their work. If this level of knowledge in composition is not acquired, it is our duty as instructors to bring them up to speed, but they have to be willing to meet half way.

Grading….

Why do you grade the way you do?  How does that focus/practice help you understand your “philosophy” of composition?

Generally, my focus remains with content and delivery of full requirements of the assignment. I think focusing on what the assignment called for is important, because these are skills which need attention in most areas of study. During high school and undergraduate study, I taught myself grammatical instruction because my teachers were focused on content. Implementing self teaching/learning is important for first year composition students, due to the short time frame allotted for vast information that is pertinent for overall academic success.

My philosophy of composition stands firm in the meat of what has been delivered. Of course, it must be grammatically logical, but overlooking the enhancement of brilliant ideas to correct comma splices, seems to be overly time consuming. I want to trust students to tackle grammatical issues on their own time, if they want to be taken seriously as writers, or even students.

Random Thoughts so far…

Given what you’ve read for this week (or even from previous weeks), what puzzles you?  What are you wrestling with?  What questions do you have that others might be able to answer/help you wrestle with?

Looking at education from a more broad approach, I’m bothered by the assertions made about technology in relation to education. Each day, as I approach my career in academia, I think about opportunities to teach in places which are in dire need of educational growth. I think about students who are less fortunate than I, who live in the worst places in the United States and even those that live in some of the worst economically unstable countries. I wonder in what way I can contribute to those areas. These readings coupled with my own experiences drive me to feel not only bothered, but ashamed that the growing belief in our society is that technological experience equals intellectual competence. I’m certainly not convinced that the children in Rwanda, who have absolutely no access to a computer, let alone lighting to read whatever texts may be available to them, feel that way either. How do you account for the children who have the drive to be successful students but no means? Granted, technology is absolutely beneficial to those who have access to it, with abilities to probe the antiques of the past and possibilities of the future, it is a true advantage for growth. But when did we lose the value of the book and what makes the person who relies on it, any less capable?

Take 20 – Collaborative Learning

Respond to the Take 20 video.  What was most surprising?  What were some “themes” you saw emerging?  What was most inspiring?

The most surprising element from watching this video was that these teachers held the importance of collaborative learning so high, in fact, at the highest level of beneficial learning techniques. I understand the importance of collaborative learning but never knew that it was actually that important in teaching.

The main theme from the video seemed to be the way learning flourishes in the absence of the teacher with the replacement of mindful or knowledge thirsty students. Everyone has something to contribute (or should) in group settings such as these collaborative learning scenarios, no matter the degree or depth of contribution.

The most inspiring statement from the video came from Mike Rose when he said “…they’re not just reading it, they’re hearing it.  And in the hearing, it’s amazing to me how often they come to these stunning kinds of insights about the assumptions they’re making.” This statement is so inspiring because essentially we all experience this at some point in time and perhaps more than once, but to see that happen with a student is absolutely beautiful and the foundation for why I want to teach.

The Writing Process

Describe YOUR process:  How do you write?  Can you think of things that might make the process more successful?  How do you think we should value “process” in our classes?

Honestly, when I write, I just start writing. I write until nothing comes out and when my brain “stops” I know it’s time for me to take a break. I break for an undetermined amount of time (depending on my deadline) and return to my work fresh and continue the cycle of writing and breaking until the work is complete. Once it is “finished”, I edit – re-read and re-word and delete and add until editing is complete. Then I read it again and put it away and return to it at a later time (depending on my deadline). When I return, I read it again and depending on whether some magnificent idea came to me during my time away from the piece, I will edit again or leave it alone.

I think outlining will improve my process a great deal. All of the times I have outlined prior to writing, I have written really well but I almost despise outlining, so I rarely do it. The idea on paper in its less than cohesive form seems pointless…but it provides fluidity for the final product.

Process develops good writers. Whether students want to write or not, process provides a way to write skillfully.

Can you hear me?

Does “voice” that resonates compete with or enhance “academic voice”?  How can we write successfully as “academics” and still have voice? Or, you can talk about how important you think voice is in teaching/grading:  how do you teach “voice”?  How do you assess it?

“Voice” is one of the components of effective writing I enjoy most. In academics and the world outside of academics, “voice” is the venue to truly be heard through words unspoken. The problem may lie within not knowing our voice or not being able to express our voice appropriately or not knowing how to apply “voice” to more serious situations such as academics but voice exists in everyone, and undoubtedly in writers.

I agree with Elbow when he says sometimes “by taking [the] roundabout path, you will find more energy and better thinking” – such is voice. The energy and thought that goes into our writing is essentially our voice. So, if that means writing continuously for 15 minutes and then returning to our error filled work to tweak and filter grammatical errors to find our voice, it is a process we might have to endure until voice comes as naturally as when we speak.

Voice may be the life of written works and the key to opening the treasure of the author’s mind. Avoiding the beauty in that is beyond me.

First Year Composition?

Why do we teach First Year Writing?  What should we be teaching in this course?  Why?

First Year composition is the fundamental component to being a successful college student. As a pillar to academics, first year composition is the transition from high school to the real world. We teach this course in order to produce citizens of the world that will be capable of expressing their countless ideas, ideas they conceal because they have no means to bring them to life. First year composition is the gate to bringing those ideas to the surface in a way that is globally comprehensive.

Essentially, we should be teaching our students to embrace the positive ideas they have and ways in which they can become effective leaders in various areas. We should be demonstrating the advantages of good composition and the impact it has on society. First year composition is not only about writing well but writing to lead you…to be someone.

Composition

What are the 3 most important concepts in composition would you say?

1. The most important concept in composition would have to be knowing your audience. As young writers, recognizing who we are trying to reach and why, is sometimes difficult. A lot of times during the beginning stages of writing, the audience is forgotten…it’s almost as if we are just writing to and for ourselves, for our own gratification.

2. Effectiveness would be the second important concept in composition because writing with purpose is essential. No matter the situation, if the goal is to inspire, amuse, or inform, it should be done as effectively as possible through composition.
3. Lastly, grammar is important. A lot of times, ideas are misconstrued or ignored because of poor grammar. Peer reviews and/or editing can help eliminate minor mistakes that may confuse, mislead, or even frustrate the reader.