Writing/Composition/Grammar

 Blog Post Number Four

Yay! We have made it to the final 😀

Another blog post, shall we jump right in?

One experience about Writing

I will be the first to admit that despite being in school and graduating with a degree in English Literature, I still struggle with writing. I want to say that it has improved substantially over many years, but the truth is that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve it further. I remember long-term subbing for a SPED teacher about two years ago and stressing out about having to teach English to her students. I know, I know it sounds silly, but I remember sharing my concerns with my mentor teacher, and she asked why I was so stressed. I shared my own experiences with writing and didn’t want to teach the students bad habits. I shared that I still struggled with writing and wasn’t sure I was qualified to teach them, despite having completed my student teaching practicum with her blessing as well as EWU’s MIT department. Her response made me laugh, and I still think about it whenever I have the chance to be in a classroom. She reminded me of my time in her classroom as a student and then asked about the differences I had seen when she provided feedback. I shared my experiences of feeling frustrated that my papers and essays always had errors, despite having to redo them multiple times. However, I had noticed that she had changed her policies regarding writing in class during my student teaching. Instead of having students write five paragraphs or lengthy essays, she had them start with just a topic sentence that responded to the prompt she provided. I remember inquiring why she changed her policy, and she stated that students were struggling too much, so it was time for a change. She apologized for the way she taught and graded previous students (mine and those from other graduating classes), acknowledging that it had put more pressure and stress on all involved. She had to reassess and adjust her entire teaching approach so that she could better support the students, rather than piling on the work and expecting them to figure it out with all the feedback she had provided. As a former student and her student teacher, I remember being confused and not quite fully understanding the significance of her changing the way she taught and graded writing until after a month of student teaching. I had thought she was being too lenient until I saw the difference in student engagement in her class and a different class I was shadowing. When she reminded me of this experience as I was stressed about teaching students how to write in English, it made me realize that there is only so much I can do in the classroom. I have to admit that I had presumed the students I worked with knew how to write a paragraph, since most of them were sophomores. Wrong. I struggled the first three weeks trying to teach the students how to write a paragraph. Eventually, I found myself breaking down the process of writing a paragraph into manageable pieces, much like teaching students what a topic sentence is and how to write one. I focused each lesson on the expectations for that day, alongside an example that would help the students know what to write. I was able to provide feedback to the students and circle back to areas where they were still confused. 

Another experience that I recall in connection with Grammar is a Grammar course I enrolled in at the undergraduate level with Dr. McHenry. I will say that I did enjoy her class as a whole and wish that I had managed my narcolepsy when I took her course. I learned a lot about Grammar as a whole and did not realize how much I struggle with grammar despite my initial thoughts of being somewhat knowledgeable. I remember her discussing the topic of pronouns at that time and sharing the controversy surrounding it. I remember not fully understanding the depth of the issue and dismissing it. She had us discuss the different aspects of phonics, grammar, and composition in our groups throughout the quarter. She would engage in dialogue and use personal experiences to help us (the students) make those connections and apply them to our own lives. I remember thinking that the course would be an easy A and I wouldn’t struggle. AGAIN, I was so wrong. I struggled with the different aspects of grammar and didn’t do too well on the tests. I appreciated the patience Dr. McHenry showed when I retook tests due to falling asleep or forgetting key points. I would attend her office hours and review the concepts that I was struggling with, which she would break down for me in a more simplified version. At the beginning of the course, she informed the class that we wouldn’t need to purchase a textbook, as there were numerous available options and a majority of them covered the same material, just written in different ways. 

Another experience I had with writing in the classroom was when one of my professors would have us submit weekly writing assignments on topics we discussed in class or on subjects we were interested in. There were even instances where the professor pushed us to submit creative work as long as we were writing outside of class. The professor stated that they were not checking for grammatical or writing errors (But we should still use the necessary tools for revising our writing), but wanted to hold us accountable for writing. The professor stressed the importance of writing and emphasized that to improve, one needs to be constantly writing, whether following a format or jotting down notes in a rambling manner. At first, I thought it was odd that the professor didn't grade the writing assignments on spelling and grammar, but I later understood the significance of not doing so. I still have my old assignments for that particular course, and I am just shocked at how much my writing has changed over the past couple of years. I used to write a lot, especially when I was enrolled in the course. However, in comparison to other English courses, I don’t have any work that was saved, as most of the assignments were provided with strict guidelines on word count, and there were no allowed grammar or spelling errors. I plan to assign similar assignments in my classroom, not as a punishment, but to help my students understand the significance of writing in and beyond the classroom. I know they might not see it as significant and believe it is just busy work, but there might be a few students who look back and thank me for it.