No One Rises to Low Expectations 1/24

Writing is Hard

The first chapter of Kelly Gallagher's book makes some fundamental aspects of writing and teaching writing abundantly clear. Writing is hard. Most of the country is not proficient in writing. The Top Ten Writing Wrongs in Secondary Schools gives some clear and explicit reasons why she feels that way. In particular, the idea that teachers assign writing without teaching students how to write resonated with me, as a mom of a reluctant 8th grade writer. One of her other points, which addresses tracking--another topic that concerns me with public schools--is that "students in the low track are more likely to do less writing and more worksheets..." and that the students "who need twice as much writing instruction end up receiving half of the writing instruction of others." How do we as educators level this playing field, and give all of the students what they need? I would like to etch the quote "no one rises to low expectations" somewhere and keep it on my classroom desk so that I never forget.

Ms. Gallagher addresses another question I'm sure many pre-service teachers have. How do we help students see writing as intrinsically important? While I understand that the key is that "students must find writing assignments to be relevant and meaningful," I have no idea how to translate that to a real classroom. That's the question. How do we find the answer?? Her follow-up to the first list reinforced some of the ideas our class had about what student writers need. Practice, modeling, choice, and meaningful feedback. Maybe we're not so far from that answer after all.

The most timely and maybe one of the most important passages I found was in her "Writing Reasons" list. That students should write because writing helps to fight oppression. I could not agree more when she said that "reading and writing well will be their best defense against oppression." My fear is that our country will become more and more divided in the years ahead, and the opportunity gap in schools will only widen. It seems that it is more critical than ever to encourage proficiency in reading and writing.

Creating Citizens of the World

Linda Christensen's introduction is one of the more optimistic and inspiring pieces I've read about teaching. I think I related more to this piece than Gallagher's, if only for the sheer positivity of the writing. The overarching theme I found was that students' lives should be the center of a created curriculum. It refers back to Gallagher--if the question is how to create writing assignments that are meaningful and relevant, making the students lives the center seems like the right way to start.

I found that the joined notions of joy and justice are also timely and significant. Injustice is rampant in our society, and students have to learn not only how to deal with them, but rise from them and (with luck) create some meaningful changes to their society. I especially liked when she said, "our students need opportunities to transform themselves, their writing, and their reading, but they also need opportunities to take that possibility for transformation out of the classroom and into the world." Education is transformational. I have lived that truth. I'm eager to read more about how Ms. Christensen creates that positive change with her students.

After taking a quiz in SED 406 to discover which of Shiro's ideologies I fit into, I was squarely in the social reconstructionist. Christensen's writing already appeals to me on this level. Really looking forward to reading more of this book.

Finding the Authentic Voice

PL Thomas' blog post to future English teachers was an excellent way to end my reading. I am fully on board with the idea that educators must constantly step back and reflect on not only their teaching practices, but on the cultural and social changes as well. His example of using the "they" pronoun as an ambiguous singular form is already in the forefront of many discussions among my classmates. He stressed the need for "stepping back from practice as often as possible, checking practice against my most authentic and critical goals, and then changing that practice if those do not match." I imagine that being able to reflect and then actually change isn't as easy as it sounds...I hope I can remember the importance of that as an educator.

Two of the links from his blog post were also meaningful to me. The first one was in step with Gallagher and Christensen, but it really felt like a punch in the gut to read that formulaic writing in schools (something I have thought was effective) may actually be the worst thing we can do for students.

The Politics of the Paragraph

The other link that I was moved by was the James Baldwin piece from 1979. As an English teacher, I want my students to speak academically and properly, but it is increasingly important to me that they not lose their authentic voice. This article was a good reminder. Plus, I'm a major fan of James Baldwin. :)

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

I'll end with a little more love of James Baldwin, and the importance of this story in todays world. There's a movie showing at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence on Friday 2/3. The movie is called "I Am Not Your Negro"