Entry #2: Writing Reflection

Throughout my previous course work, I have reflected several times about the instruction I have received in the area of writing.  It pains me to always point a finger at my elementary teachers for not encouraging or listening to the “voice” in my writing.  I blame them for my fear of writing rejection, born from the Initiation, Response, Feedback method of teaching and questioning that my teachers exposed me to day after day.  This strategy of teaching referred to in Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning (Gibbons, 2002), stifled my internal need for reflection and thinking about the content being taught.  I had an anxiety about saying or writing the “wrong” answer.  In addition, there was little or no significance put on an extend response.  Overall, I was taught to locate the right answer and write it down.  I was not taught to think.  I never remember a teacher saying, “Why do you think that?”  All I remember hearing is that it is wrong to think that, because that is not the correct answer.  As a result, my comprehension withered and my class participation and oral communication fell off.   What resonates most from these experiences is my reluctance to discuss an academic topic.  There is a book by Joel Saltzman called If You Can Talk, You Can Write.  Does this mean that if you can’t talk, you can’t write?

The fear, anxiety, and often desperation I have about writing are abundantly clear.  However, I will not let my past writing experiences define my future writing successes.  I also would never bring those fears and anxieties into the classroom.  I love my students too much.  In fact, the negative experiences have catapulted my teaching into a much better place.  I teach with genuine concern for my learners, their needs, and their points of view.  I realize that the cookie cutter methods are not for everyone.  I also realize that some students strive off these methods.  My deepest concern was that my teachers didn’t know me.  They didn’t know me as a learner and they didn’t listen to me as a writer.  My hope for myself and my advice to all teachers is to truly get to know your students.  In doing this, you will discover what you need to teach and what you need to learn.