Chapter 5

As a writing teacher I often feel very torn. I need my students to write in a way that shows what they are learning. That they are gaining something from my countless mini-lessons and conferences. But what struck me about this chapter is that in order for them to write well they need to have permission to write poorly first. This resonated for me on a couple of levels. I just sent away the wretched National Boards box containing countless hours of work that started has really bad writing. My sentences were not smooth and fluid and had to be edited quite a lot. I also was writing like it was a college class. The writing you do for National Boards is very different. In order to get any writing down though, I just had to write. I had to add my flowery adjectives and transitions words and hopes and dreams in order to have something that I could then pare down and work into something appropriate.
My students need to have that freedom. That knowledge that the point in what they have to say. We can fix the grammatical stuff later. They need to be able to write and just have freedom to mess up. When my students feel they are writers who have something to say it is amazing what comes out of them. Some of my lowest students are able to write with powerful voice because they have been allowed to share what they have despite the fact that editing them is a nightmare. :) I call my students writers from the moment they walk in my class because like the example of the swimming teacher I know that my belief is pivotal. There is a quote that says, "How do I know what I think until I see what I say." I think that is so important. Spandel says "We don't write to be assessed. We write in order to learn how." I think that is a powerful reminder to me to let my kids write and write and write and just see the mess they create and worry about the mechanics as we come to it because often times they will notice afterwards. You can teach editing, you can fix it but its hard to unlock a voice that has been fenced in by perfection.

Chapter 4

I am a wee bit late- sorry... I am excited that we are getting so much closer to summer. :) I found this chapter like all the others very appropriate especially for what I am doing right now. My students do writing workshop and I keep struggling with allowing them to move quicker or slower and yet still complete something in order to keep the grade book. I really appreciated how she said that publishing is not the point. Writing is the point- sometimes I forget that. I still have questions on how exactly to work all of that but I am encouraged that this is possible. I love the list of advice from 4th graders followed by the high school students. The advice was so different which showed the maturity but I think at the same time showed how cluttered our minds get as we get older. When we are young we want to do things right and get the good grade but we don't have as much of a mess in our heads to filter through. We just haven't had enough time to accumulate "stuff." I love the line that said they need to write extensively, expansively and frequently. Sometimes I am afraid that my kids are going to say- again?! It hasn't happened yet and so I guess I need to chill about that. :) The reminder that writing is not a team process (the actual process) that we need time and to be inspired, a quiet and comfortable place to be inspired and that essentially criteria is good but should be bendable. My students get rubrics all the time but I like the idea of a specific handbook. Seems like no kidding but still its a good reminder.

Writing workshop is a continual search for one's own best personal process. What a fantastic reminder! I am trudging through National Boards right now- wish I was done, had planned to be done. But in my haste and madness to be done I sometimes forget that my kids really and truly need time, to write, process, read and think. A very timely reminder!! :)  

Chapter 3

I thought the timing of this chapter was rather ironic. We have just finished PASS testing, what fun that was. :) The prompt for the PASS was rather generic and my kids most likely went "off topic." I love the freedom that was given to me as a teacher of writing. I am constantly talking to my kids about their voice but the tough part about voice is that it can't necessarily be taught. On page 31 the question of why they don't put more voice into their writing is asked. I love the answer of why don't caged animals run more? I work so hard to give my students time to write but I need to be consciously aware to give them time to go off topic. I want my students to branch out and be brave with their writing. I constantly tell them that I want to know what they are thinking. I don't want them all to write about the same things or to feel they can't write unless I give them the material- that's boring and it isn't accomplishing my ultimate goal- independent readers, writers and thinkers. 

I understand the need for prompt writing especially for assessment but I think we as scorers in the classroom really need to re-evaluate our purpose. What was our goal? What do we want them to accomplish? 

I am currently going through the madness that is known as National Boards and one of the main things asked over and over is " What is your purpose? What did you want your students to gain from this experience?" Seems a very simple question but is all tied to having the end in mind. Which I guess is also known as backward planning. I think on some levels I do this but as a writing teacher to really look at where I want them to go with their writing or how I want them to benefit will help me as teacher and them as writers. Spandel's line on page 32  says if we just want to see if they are good writers, we don't need a good prompt because good writers can write about anything. I want my students to dig deep and get personal because I feel like if they can get comfortable with that format they can tackle the other ones. 

Really amazing writing stems from my students being comfortable enough in their own skin and showing it off. I think very often the format follows afterwards. I worry sometimes when correcting my students writing because I try to not annihilate their grade by correcting grammar and mechanics and really focusing on what they write. Asking myself if they included everything I had asked them to include and attempted to edit and re-work. My fear is that they will get to high school and their new teacher will think I am crazy because so often I am more concerned about their voice. I am not the best writing teacher by far but I must say that this chapter was helpful in feeling that working on their story, style and voice most importantly is okay.

I am excited to give my students even more reign and possibly experiment with a few of the ideas offered. I want my students to be okay with starting in a random place and allowing their writing to take them where it will. In so many ways Vicki Spandel is reminding us to be human with our students and to remember why we like to write. 

Workshop thoughts

UWP conferences always provide me with so many new ideas and a bit of validation. I was excited to hear from the speaker about pop culture because I feel this is something that we really need to get better at incorporating. Their are aspects to integrating pop culture that are a bit daunting mostly because of needing more or newer technology. But I feel that now not only do I have some fresh attainable ideas I also have a few more resources.
Inga did a great job this morning giving us ideas for how to inspire our students to write which again was through another media- pictures which are so powerful and provide so many ways for our kids to express themselves.
Paula gave us an extremely easy way to help our kids expand their vocabularies. Her strategy is one I can take back to my classroom and use even this Monday as a bellwork.
Dinah Johnson's reading was amazing- its so cool to be able to hear an author's voice and the way they meant their writing to sound.
Korina Jocson did a great job of pinch hitting for Mr. Morrell. I was excited about her information but most definitely need to process and figure out ways to incorporate her ideas in a way that works in my class. My mind is quite busy... which is exciting.

Chapter 2

I feel like I am going to sound similar to how I did on the first chapter but I just really like this book. I feel like I have just been given a whole lot of permission to do what I already want to do. This chapter did bring up the challenge of trying to allow students to have a say in what they write so that they are able to write about something that matters to them. However, very often we have non-writers and even more the possiblity of adding stress or never having students complete any writing. I have found in class that very often my students have to have some sort of deadline to work to but if they are working ahead they can work on something else. I try to give them tethered choice. This helps on a couple of levels, it keeps them from not having any thoughts but I also am able to avoid being Mr. Graphite- hilarious! The trials we put our kids through. I think a really good rule of thumb for me has been if I've asked them to write something then I better either have already written an example or plan on writing soon. My kids expect to hear what I am writing and I want them to. I am excited to continue to let my students write about things that matter to them and in the process, learn- how cool?!