The Third Right of Every Writer-To Go Off Topic

The third right of every writer has been the most surprising to me thus far. I have never considered it appropriate to go off topic, or at least I didn't realize natural writing includes going off topic in a sense. The idea of being off topic is much broader than I realized. There are circumstances when writing is completely void of focus on an assingned prompt. These instances are considered to be "off topic" and unacceptable, but there are also instances when elaboration occurs, broadening and enhancing a piece writing. Times when writing is off topic in this facet are liberating for a writer and a reader. The natural flow of writing causes our minds to move from one idea to another, allowing our writing to grow. When these changes of ideas occur, it allows the writer to have a voice. It makes the writing personal because it is written with feeling and desire. Therefore, converting a prompt into a personal topic reveals a writer who is in tune with their writing and in tune with their voice.

The Second Right of Every Writer- A Personally Important Topic

The second right of every writer, a personally important topic, is a right I believe students need to be given in order to not only appreciate writing but develop a passion for it. My students have received much support and few freedoms in all areas of writing: topic, introduction, conclusion, format, etc., in preparation for PASS testing. I often heard my students complaining about writing in general, particularly the writing topics they were assigned. After reading about the second right, I decided to slowly transition my students into the method of choosing their own topic. To begin this process, and still prepare my students for the PASS test, I created a writing menu with different types of writing: expository, descriptive, and personal narrative. The menu included a description of each type of writing, as a review, and a prompt for each. The students still did not develop their own topic, but they were given choice, a freedom I'm not sure they have ever received in the area of writing. The students embraced this freedom with excitement. They wrote faster than then in previous assignments, and they were more eager to share their writing with the class.

A metaphor from the second right chapter that spoke to me was when the author compared assigned writing to choosing and wrapping your own gift. You lose the element of surprise. Although choosing a topic requires more work, it provides more reward for the writer. With the reward comes more motivation. Students that write on a topic that is forced on them become apathetic. Writing without motivation, feeling, or purpose is a waste of the art. The writer that chooses their topic is more confident as they write because they know the extent of their knowledge related to the topic. Another advantage of a writer choosing a topic is their writing becomes more fulfilling to read because the author feels more fulfilled when they write. As the author conveys, writing that is personally important becomes and extension of the writer, creating a bond between author and reader. Assigning a writing topic destroys this bond. I observed evidence of this fulfillment in my students. Simply providing my students with a choice of topic transformed their attitude about writing as well the writing itself.

Reflection on the Upstate Writing Project's Spring Conference 2009

There were many aspects of the Upstate Writing Project's Spring Conference I found educational and enjoyable. I enjoyed the lunch session with children's book author Dinah Johnson. The joy of listening to an author read their work is rare. She read with such feeling and emotion that a reader cannot interpret from an initial reading. Not only did she read her work, but she shared her experiences as an author, sharing conflicts with editors, book inspirations, and meanings within her books.

Each of the afternoon sessions provided us a demo of a strategy used in teaching. The strategies, voice thread and story gloves, were shared by teachers currently in the field, and therefore resulted from struggles within their own classrooms. Each of the demos provided participants with an introduction, a demonstration, an engaging writing activity, sharing of teacher writing written during demo, and sharing of student work. Each of the components provided a better understanding of each strategy, and I feel prepared to share these in my classroom. I am excited to do so, and I am looking forward to continuing my experience with the Upstate Writing Project.

The First Right of Every Writer - Reflection

The author of The 9 Rights of Every Writer, Vicki Spandle, truly captured my thoughts in the discussion of the right of reflection. The idea that a place of tranquility is more valuable for writers than the frenzied drills and practices we provide to our students is the very concept I have been struggling with over the past two months as I have begun teaching. Entering the teaching field midway through the year, into a classroom where the students had been deprived of many things, I have felt extreme conflict within myself, especially in regard to writing. I want for my deprived students to succeed on the upcoming standardized test, but simultaneously I want them to feel the passion for writing I had as a student and still have repressed inside of me. Entering the field at this time presented me with the unjust time frame of two months to remedy my students writing woes before the new standardized test is given. I feel imprisoned with my students writing, knowing the many areas they have not been prepared for, but also knowing the true empowerment of writing they will be missing if I only teach writing in the form of a drill.

Accompanied with this idea of tranquility is the idea that writing requires a long period of thinking. Writing does not all take place on paper, but largely in the imagination of our minds. When I am writing, regardless of whether it is a five page essay for a professor or in my journal for my own pleasure, I need time to think and reflect. I need time to leave my writing, to become inspired, and return refreshed. I need time to write. How have I asked my students to write? I have asked them to comply with the norm of school writing instruction, allowing approximately twenty to thirty minutes for each step of the writing process. I don't allow my students the freedom and time they need to write properly, to allow the first part of writing, imagination, to take place.

Standardized tests inhibit the thinking and imagination step in the writing process as well, so students must be able to write in a timed manner to be successful on these tests. I believe in order for my students to master writing to the degree they can write in a restricted manner, they first need to truly embrace the art of writing on a daily basis, to learn the fulfillment it brings. They need to learn that a true writing experience is relaxing and enjoyable not stressful. I believe my students need to master the art of writing in its true form, and by doing so they will be able to perform well, even when a time restraint is given such as during a standardized tests. I do not have the time to remedy these practices for my students before their standardized test, but I plan to show these students the true experience of writing, and to remedy these mistakes with my future students, providing all my students the right to reflect.

Initial Blogging Experience

Hello all! This is my first blog post of the Summer Institute for 2009.

Here's a little about me. I am a new teacher at Crestview Elementary. By new I mean I have been teaching for approximately two months. I teach third grade, and I am loving it. I have a wonderful team that supports me in all areas of teaching. I am a graduate from Clemson University. Go tigers! I am a newly wed, married this past August.

I loved writing as a child, and through the daunting task of endless college essays I have wondered away from this love of writing. I am looking forward to my experience with the Summer Institute to rekindle my love for writing so I can in turn be a better teacher of writing for my students.