Blog Post #1

In reading each of the pieces, I found myself nodding and making notes in the margins. Nodding in validation of practices in my own classroom and making notes on things to add. The NCTE reading provided a mine of golden nuggets. The article states that, “Teachers need to support students in the development of writing lives, habits, and preferences for life outside school.” From the beginning of my career teaching first grade to currently teaching sixth grade, I have always approached reading from a position of cultivating “a love of reading” and being a lifelong reader. I would instruct my students to read whatever they want at home and during reading time in class. Using myself as an example, I shared with them my love of cooking and how I enjoy reading cookbooks and cooking magazines. Why not have this same approach with writing? The article brings into light the concept that students need to write for many different genres and need to recognize the writing they do in their everyday lives. The activity done in class showed all of the ways in which we write every single day and proved to me that I am more of a writer than I gave myself credit. This same activity may show my students that they write more than they think and could inspire a struggling writer. The article also challenged my own teaching on how to help a struggling student and the quality of my feedback. We all know that students have varying strengths and challenges. The student grappling with word choice and organization is much different from the student who does not understand the directions and does not know how to begin. With larger class sizes and shorter periods, writing conferences have become small group conferences in my class. This article reinforces the importance of individual discussions to talk about where a student is in the writing process and how I can guide they to where they are heading. I cringed when I read the feedback, well written. I must admit that I have written those very words when reading a response that was on point and included relevant details. However for the struggling writer, I had a wealth of advice to share. Writing “well written” now seems like default feedback when I should have included what made the response well written. When reading the Baldwin article, I had a familiar pit in my stomach, a pit that I had earlier this week when the first of many RICAc emails was received. The email included test dates and released items. I immediately opened the released items and was confident that the required skills were part of my class instruction. The pit came when students were asked to “write” a complete response comparing the viewpoints of authors from two texts, last year’s items included a compare and contrast from three texts. Although this skill is part of Common Core and the ELA curriculum, I struggle with this on demand writing that is assessed on content, organization, and conventions and that does not honor the writing process. Baldwin states, “Our reading and writing lives keep us grounded in our authentic goals eroded by accountability.” This quotes is played out in classrooms everyday. Are we following the timeline? Do we have enough grades for the trimester? Are students prepared for RICAS? UGH!! In closing this seemingly negative paragraph, I do feel that students need to know how to respond to a prompt/ question in a timely manner and they may not always have the opportunity to prewrite, write, and revise. Real life experiences, such as the workplace, may not afford the necessary time to honor the writing process. Balancing the love of reading and writing, the quick thinking skills needed in life and let’s not forget standardized tests, and recognizing the needs of students as individuals is what we do as educators everyday.