Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Who Are You As A Writer?


This blog response will require some personal reflection about how you developed as a writer in school and your development as a writing teacher. The excerpts are derived from Linda Christensen's book Teaching For Joy & Justice and the question for each response is located under the excerpt. There are 2 questions to respond to this week.

In too many classrooms, grades are the "wages" students earn for their labor. Teachers assign work, students create products, and grades exchange hands. There are problems with this scenario. Students who enter class with skills- especially reading and writing skills- are rewarded with higher grades. They already know how to write the paper; they just need to figure out what the teacher wants in it. Essentially, they take what the teacher talks about in class and reproduce it in a paper. Students who lack these basic skills are at a disadvantage. Unless there has been an explicit teaching of how to write the papers, they don't know how to produce the products the teacher expects. This doesn't mean they lack the intelligence, desire to achieve, or capacity to learn; it means they lack skills. As a result, they receive a lower grade.

Let me pause to say that sometimes students can't write a better draft. They need more instruction. How fair is it to grade them down on a paper if they don't have the tools to complete the task? Is it their fault that they have made it to my class without academic skills? I don't think so. It's my job to teach them how to write, how to revise. I believe that most students would write a better draft if they could.

1. Describe your writing journey through school:
a) What is your opinion of the writing instruction you received in school?
b) What or Who was instrumental in helping you to become a writer?
c) Do you only write for academic purposes or do you write for other reasons outside of the world of academia? (Currently)


Because I want my students to view their writing as a process, I refuse to let them be "done." If students turn in drafts that represent their best work at that point in time, they receive full credit for the writing. If students don't have drafts, they receive no credit. If they turn in rushed drafts that clearly aren't their best efforts, I return them and ask them to re-do the papers. Students regularly write and rewrite papers they care about a number of times.

Too often, writing-and thinking- in school becomes scripted (hence the five-paragraph essay) because scripts are easier to teach and easier to grade. Unfortunately, they fail to teach students how to write. Real writing is messy. And students often don't "get" how to write narratives or essays the first time we teach them. They need lots of practice without judgements; they need to be told what they are doing right, so they can repeat it; they need to examine how to move to the next draft.

2. Describe your journey as a writing teacher thus far in your career:
a) What strengths do you bring regarding the teaching of writing (whether you consider yourself a novice or expert)?
b) What is your greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing?


11 comments:

  1. 1. Describe your writing journey through school:
    a) What is your opinion of the writing instruction you received in school?

    The writing instruction I learned in school went through stages. In elementary school, I was taught grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and how to write basic paragraphs and papers according to a format. In high school, I learned more about the five paragraph essay and how to write an essay according the preferences of each teacher I had. I feel that some of my teachers expected the basic five paragraph essay and others challenged me to write beyond the five paragraph essay and to think outside the box. In college, some professors expected similar cut and dry essays while I met some who once again challenged me to write well and not just write for a grade.

    b) What or Who was instrumental in helping you to become a writer?

    Getting a "C" or lower( which I experienced a few times throughout my academic career) on a paper challenged me to become not only a writer, but a better writer. It made me realize the importance of writing for myself and writing something interesting instead of just writing for academic purposes.

    c) Do you only write for academic purposes or do you write for other reasons outside of the world of academia? (Currently)

    Currently, I only write for academic purposes. Before college and grad school, I would occasionally write in journals and write free style poetry. I don't write for fun now because I am too preoccupied with my academic responsibilities. Once I am done with school, I think I will take up writing again.

    2. Describe your journey as a writing teacher thus far in your career:
    a) What strengths do you bring regarding the teaching of writing (whether you consider yourself a novice or expert)?

    At this point, I feel as if I am a novice teacher who still has so much to learn. However, I do feel I bring the strengths of understanding and compassion for my students. I know what it is like to struggle with writing and finding one's creative voice. Thus, I feel I can relate to my students and help them through their journey of becoming writers while using effective instructional methods and strategies that I have learned from my grad school classes.

    b) What is your greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing?

    My greatest fear is not being able to spark an interest or appreciation of writing in my students. As a teacher, I know I will have certain language requirements and proficiencies that my students will need to meet and I hope that I can come up with creative and interesting writing methods and activities that will not only teach them how to write but why we write. Hopefully, I will be able to spark their creativity in writing and not just teach them academic writing.

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  2. 1. When I was a little girl my mom loved to embarrass me at parties she hosted. Invariably at some point in the evening she would gather everyone’s attention and insist I stand on the hearth of the fireplace and read something I had recently written. There was always something. My genres were diverse; I wrote poems, children’s books, letters to the editor, short stories, and rap songs inspired by The Simpson’s and Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Some were assigned as homework and some I just did for fun. I think that’s why when I sat down to read the 1st week’s assigned articles for this class I was confused. What was all this discussion on teachers stifling their students’ creativity? Who were all these young learners bred to feel bored or frustrated by writing? I guess I’d never realized how lucky I’ve been in my education to have teachers that have set challenging and inspirational writing assignments for me.

    In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I went through grades 1-8 in the GATE program and continued into AP courses in high school. Perhaps here teachers assumed students had the mechanics down and were able to “handle” creative tasks? Or maybe it was just the nature of the my little town in the foothills of Lake Tahoe where being a hippy has never gone out of style, there are monthly drum circles down by the river, and people still earn a living mining for gold…

    I can still remember one of my greatest teachers, Mr. Prero, my 8th grade Literature and Anthropology teacher “performing” his way through oral readings of the Iliad and Odyssey. We would good naturedly duck from flecks of spit that flew from his mouth as he charged around the room, Homer’s masterpiece in one hand, the other wielding a yard stick “sword”. How could any impressionable young student not be inspired by this kind of enthusiasm?

    Thanks to Mr. Prero and a myriad of other excellent teachers, writing was alive and exciting for me. I was praised often (by teachers and, of course, my mother’s party guests) and feeling confident made me want to produce more. To this day, I still turn to writing as a creative outlet. There are definitely lulls in my writing but if something turns my life upside down, the first place I’ll usually run to is my pen.

    2.As a teacher I don’t think I have been nearly as inspirational as any of my mentors. My classroom experience involves teaching English as a second language to adult learners who come with urgent, immediate needs to learn how to navigate across the city, or speak with their bank, or increase their TOEFL score. Learning to write creatively is not often high on their priority list. As I have developed as a teacher though, so has my curriculum and I have been able to weave a bit of writing for fun and beauty into my lessons. I think a strength that I have in this area (if it can be considered a strength) is that I am in awe of my students’ writing. Their attempts to creatively express themselves in a foreign language humbles me, inspires me, and often moves me to tears. What I give to my students is a safe space to explore language for the sake of beauty. I make sure to give time to writing for the sake of enjoyment and specifically tell them to let go of fear of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Some of my students have told me that they have learned to love writing in English when it was something they hated to do in their own first language.

    My greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing is that I don’t know how to correct students’ work and guide them to improvement. I’m usually so impressed with a first draft, I hardly expect more. This is obviously something I need to work on.

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  3. 1.a)/b)
    Since I was very young, I was constantly told by both my sisters that my papers were poorly written and my writing was rubbish. This led me to have very little confidence in my writing. I believe I received a decent amount of writing instruction in my schooling, but could have done with a bit more. My confidence level however, continuously led me to believe that I was a poor writer. As a result, it became increasingly difficult for me to try hard on any written assignment, as I "knew" it would never be good enough. I struggled the first two years of college immensely, giving minimal effort so as to not be disappointed by the reality of my lack of writing ability.

    While in college, I began seeing a therapist for my struggles with an eating disorder. It was then, that I identified a number of things I was told by my sister's (and eating disorder) that were false. I slowly but surely began to build confidence in many areas of my life including my writing (I also practiced quite a bit!). I believe now, I have learned the tools as well as developed the confidence to become a writer.

    c) At the moment I only write for academic purposes, though I try to keep a journal!

    2. a) I have not had much experience as a writing teacher or teaching in general as of now and I certainly still have a lot to learn. I do know, however that a strength I bring is empathy and understanding for those who struggle with writing. I will be able to relate to my students and hopefully guide them through their writing journey as I did for myself.

    b) My greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing is coming across a student like myself, 4 years ago, with such a lack of confidence that their writing is stunted with the belief that they will never improve.

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  4. 1. I don’t think that I received the best writing instruction in school. I had always thought that I was a decent writer, always got a check plus in elementary or a B+ in middle and high school. I assumed that the fact that I was an ELL didn’t really affect me, that it was something that I had dealt with, that was in my past. No one ever told me that I was a bad writer and I never got too many red marks on my written work. I didn’t know I was a bad writer until a college student corrected my personal statement, she returned it and practically said that I had to re-write the whole thing, that it was worthless. At that moment I was mad at the student. When I started college and took the writing classes I realized that in a way she was right, at that point I was mad at my teachers for not helping me. It wasn’t until those classes and later on at UCSD while I was writing my honors thesis that it was suggested I go seek writing tutoring. So I visited Cecilia Ubilla and she helped me with my writing. She very kindly explained the mistakes that I was making and how I could modify them. After visiting her not only did my thesis improve, so did my over all writing.

    I currently write mostly for academia, for research papers, but I also keep a journal. Sadly I write it in mostly when my emotions are to one extreme or another, I think it’s a great way to vent and to write down how I truly feel. If I need to write and I don‘t, I can‘t function…I had to write in it before I could even start this blog entry.

    2. I consider myself very much a novice when it comes to writing. The only strength that I see myself bringing to teaching writing is in not sugar coating the truth about students mistakes. I will let them know very gently the mistake that they are making, why they are not correct and how they could correct it. Along with this I would also acknowledge my mistakes and tell them that if I could learn, so could they.

    My greatest fear when it comes to teaching writing is that I may not be able to guide the students to become better writers. It is so important to write, to be able to get your feelings and ideas down on paper, I don’t want to lead students astray.

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  5. 1.Describe your writing journey through school:
    a)What is your opinion of the writing instruction you received in school?

    My writing experience began with three-paragraph narrative stories. The writing instructions I received before were mainly about forms and time control. At the very beginning of my writing experience, I was told exactly what to write: telling when, where, who at the first paragraph, what happened at the second paragraph, what you have learned at the last paragraph. Then, it was all about five paragraph essays and time control at secondary and high school: finishing writing within 40 minutes was the goal. At university level there was no special instruction on writing any more. In my opinion, my former writing instructions did not have anything to do with writing itself, but have everything to do with exams. I did not receive any kind of instruction on how to express myself better through writing. All I have learned were tips on how to get a higher score on exams. So I believe the instructions on writing I received before were not good, and had ruined my creativity, to some degree.

    b)What or Who was instrumental in helping you to become a writer?

    I did not consider myself as a writer until I read all those articles about writing this semester. I learned more about writing as a way of communication and self-expression. While composing my poems in English, for the first time in my life, I actually felt the joy in writing itself. I am becoming a writer.

    c)Do you only write for academic purposes or do you write for other reasons outside of the world of academia? (Currently)

    Currently, I only write for academic purposes. I do wish to write something outside of the world of academia when I have more time for writing.

    2.Describe your journey as a writing teacher thus far in your career:
    a) What strengths do you bring regarding the teaching of writing (whether you consider yourself a novice or expert)?

    Due to my former writing experience, I think I understand better what kind of instructions will impede students’ growth in writing. Through this course, I learned more about what writing really means and strategies to instruct and assess writing. Using mentor texts, WRG groups and assessing writing with both compassion and passion will be the strengths which I am going to bring to my teaching of writing in the future.

    b) What is your greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing?

    My greatest fear will be finding the balance of inspiring students to explore their own writing styles and meeting the requirements of standardized writing tests. In this assessment-obsessed and standardized system, I have to teach my students how to dance with chains.

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  6. 1.a) The writing instruction that I received in school would definitely fall under the "prescriptive" approach label. I learned how to write in a very formulative way. I can bust out a 5 paragraph essay like it is nobody's business. I'm pretty sure I could write a 5 paragraph essay about a slug and my teachers in school would have given me an A+ and complimented me on my flawless inclusion of a topic sentence, supporting details, conclusion and use of transition words. Regardless of this approach, or maybe because of my ability to conform to it, I enjoy writing and find that it comes easily to me.

    1.b) My 10th & 11th grade English teacher, Ms. Burychka helped me to become a queen of the 5-paragraph essays and research papers. Because she helped to develop my confidence in these prescriptie approaches, I think it gave me the overall confidence as a writer. From there, I felt that I could go beyond these drab papers and perhaps pursue something creative or unique. I think my real inspiration is Children's literature in general...there is something magical about going into a bookstore and seeing kids bright-eyed and full of dreams because of a book - I hope to one day be a writer who can do that for a child.

    1.c) Because of a seemingly perpetual lack of time, I am currently only writing for academic purposes. In the past year or so, I've been dabbling at writing a children's book and hope (sometime after my Masters) to get it to the point where I can attempt to publish. I keep a journal next to my bed - if you count brain dumping before going to bed so that I can actually sleep, then I write quite a lot :)

    2.a) I remember the first time I felt an inkling of confidence as a writing teacher. I was teaching Kindergarten Writer's Workshop and the prescribed genre that I needed to teach was Informational Report. I felt overwhelmed as to how to help 5 year olds write such a genre. I did my best and brought in tons of examples and books and even took my students to the zoo to be first-hand observers so that they could write an informational report about their favorite animal. I remember feeling so overwhelemed trying to conference with everyone, when one day my principal walked in and sat and watched as I conferenced and moved among my students to see how their writing was going. I had a few of my students share their work in the author's chair. After the class, my principal told me that my Kindergarteners' writing was exceeding was the 3rd graders were doing. I felt that all the backwork I did to make the information tangible helped the students develop thoughtful, unique pieces of writing.
    b) My greatest fear is that I will fall victim to the state standards/achievement tests and therefore fall into a completely prescriptive approach. I am scared that I will struggle to keep writing unique, innovative and individualized thus causing students to dislike writing. Ideally I want to inspire students to write - because I honestly feel in this digital age writing is one of the most sincere forms of self, whether it is through blogging or writing in a journal, it is medium that can keep people grounded and cognizant of who they are as a person.

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  7. What is your opinion of the writing instruction you received in school?

    I believe that some of my teachers loved to write and instilled that in me. I loved the creative projects we had in school: writing our own books, writing poetry, writing alternate chapters for books, and playing with genres like satire. What I had the most trouble with is how grammar was taught. It never stuck with me. I don’t know the names of all the rules, I just know what sounds right. I wish I had been taught grammar within the context of writing, rather than in isolation. I always loved to write so I think if I had been taught how grammar impacts writing I would have paid more attention and actually learned something.

    What or Who was instrumental in helping you to become a writer?
    I loved to write and I had a few teachers that made a big impact on me. One teacher told us that a good writer can express complex thought with simple language. As a child of immigrants who speak English as a second and fourth language, I learned to use simple words to express myself. I felt that my vocabulary meant I wasn’t as good of a writer as the kids that used huge words. This teacher made me see writing differently and made me appreciate the ability to make thoughts accessible. I was also lucky enough to have Lucille Clifton as a teacher in college. I took two of her poetry classes and a civil rights class she taught. She got me to look at the subtly of language, what is said without really saying it. She also taught me the most about grammar than any teacher any has. She taught us how periods can create a dramatic pause, when to use a comma and when a dash might get your point or tone across better, she to capitalize for emphasis and when to not follow the rules of capitalization, etc. She let us play with grammar and as long as it told a story she let us get away with breaking the rules.

    Do you only write for academic purposes or do you write for other reasons outside of the world of?

    I write for many reasons outside of the academic world. I wrote two articles that got published in some indy journals and I write for websites, which concern social issues I feel strongly about. I write poetry, mostly when I’m sad to release my pain. I have kept a journal on and off since I was in 5th grade to help me process what happens in life. I write less now that I'm in school, but I still write because it's become a part of how I work through emotions.

    What strengths do you bring regarding the teaching of writing (whether you consider yourself a novice or expert)?

    I consider myself a novice because I have yet to have complete control over a writing class. What I think I bring to the table is that I love writing. I think students can sense when you love something and when you get excited about a content area, so do they. I also think that in order to model good writing for a student, you have to love writing and think about what your are exposing your students to. Another strength I have is the ability to integrate writing into everything – I integrated into math by always asking students to explain in words how they solved each problem. I integrated into science through journals. In social studies I created research projects where students were able to create their own laws when learning about government (they wrote a constitution). I also had students work on biographies on people like Oprah. I think you can put writing into every subject and the more you do, the better your students get at writing because they need practice.

    What is your greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing?
    I fear that I will take the fun out of it. If I overcorrect or teach it in a way that feels bland to the students, they will feel like writing is just another chore and won’t appreciate it good writing and won’t want to use it as a way of self expression. I also fear that I won’t equip my students with the ability to code-switch and move into academic writing (and change their voice if they need to) when life requires it.

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  8. Describe your writing journey through school:

    What is your opinion of the writing instruction you received in school?

    Writing was never fun for me. I don’t know that I necessarily struggled with writing sentences, but when it came to essays and narratives, I had trouble expressing myself on papers. I remember in college, my professor critiquing my writing and saying that it is simple and plain. I feel that because I had trouble expressing my words and thoughts onto paper, I was always concerned with form. I definitely followed the 5 paragraph essay format and thought that was good enough. I would have liked to see the writing instruction be more free, fun, and enjoyable. I think it is such a great way to express yourself and share your thoughts. I wished form wasn’t looked upon so highly, I may have taken more risks in my writing.


    What or Who was instrumental in helping you to become a writer?

    When I entered college, I realized I needed to bump up my writing. I tried to write what I thought, like I was talking and I would then edit my work. It was not until I entered the workplace, and applied for jobs, sent emails to executives, principals, etc., that I really saw myself becoming a better writer. I was aware of what good writing looked and sounded like and I wanted to be at that level.


    Do you only write for academic purposes or do you write for other reasons outside of the world of academia?

    At this time, I only write for academic and work purposes.



    2. Describe your journey as a writing teacher thus far in your career:

    What strengths do you bring regarding the teaching of writing (whether you consider yourself a novice or expert)?

    I definitely realize that writing takes time. I am patient and show and model many examples to the students. I put myself in the students position, and think about what would help me most if I were in their position. I have them read their writing aloud. And never put their writing down. If they think they are finished I tell them, they could always edit and write more. I do make students realize that the reader does not always have the same background knowledge that they have, so they need to be explicit and detailed in their wiring. I think it is good to build upon sentences, and moving forward I will definitely, break writing pieces down into sections. I feel that I will get better quality work from the students.


    What is your greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing?

    I hope that I don’t help too much. Although it is good to edit and guide students, I hope I don’t strive for perfection. I am not sure where the line should really be drawn and that is was I am looking forward to seeing. Although I know that depending on grade level students’ work won’t be grammatically perfect, but I don’t know how much to correct them. Is it better to always explain that sentences should be broken apart or separated with commas, or if their writing is legible leave it how it is and allow them to grow as a writer on their own?

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  9. When I was in elementary school, I remember writing in terms of “assignments”. I was “assigned” to write a book report. I was “assigned” to write a poem. I was graded on these assignments. Spelling counted, as did penmanship. I remember the red marks on my paper.
    There was never any feedback on the process of writing. We never worked on anything with the thought of revising it. The only thing that resembled revising was copying our papers over so that they were pretty. I received good grades because I had a bit of talent for writing and was a good speller. Those students for whom writing did not come naturally had no extra support to improve their practice.
    It was pretty much the same all the way through to high school. I had a lot of practice with writing, but not much feedback and training. Somehow along the way, I learned to edit and revise, but I don’t think anyone actually taught me how. Being a reader probably helped as much as anything. When I was in college, I took a creative writing class. I probably received more feedback in that class than I ever did anywhere else.
    The writing instruction that I received dealt mostly with form – how to write an essay, for example. I would have liked to have had more instruction in craft. At its best, the writing instruction I received was kind of a benign neglect. I was usually able to come up with products that satisfied my teachers, so I did not have to suffer from the scars of criticism that some of my classmates received.
    On my own, I wrote poetry starting at around age 11. Most of it was not very good, and I never showed much of it to anyone else. So, my most creative writing was largely solitary, just for myself. This writing was not at all connected to what I did at school. As an adult, I kept journals for years and have continued to write poetry when the mood strikes. Now that I am working towards my masters, most of my writing is for academic purposes. There is not much time or energy left over for anything else.

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  10. Ever since I first started teaching, I have taught writing as a process. It has always felt comfortable to me to teach that way. With my kindergartners, I valued expression over form. I wanted them to draw pictures even if they could not yet write the words. As the years have gone by, I have begun to appreciate a bit more the importance of conventions and organization, but I always teach these things in the context of being able to communicate with others through writing. I also have seen the importance of encouraging a child to write a lot on the page – to always stretch the child as a writer and as a thinker.

    Since I began teaching second grade this year, my goal since the beginning of the year has been to free up the children from expectations. I want them to write independently without depending on me or worrying too much about whether it is “right”. I feel that my students have finally reached that stage, and we can begin some real work on improving their writing.

    I think I bring the strength of respect for each student’s voice. I feel that it is a social justice issue that each child be allowed the space for their voice to be heard. I also bring the strength of a curious mind. I am always reading and looking for new ideas and approaches. Just recently, I discovered that my strength also lies in my passion for teaching writing the way I do and for the rights of the students to be able to express their voices.

    My biggest fear in teaching writing is the lack of understanding on the part of many parents and some teachers of what good writing really is. I fear being misinterpreted and regarded as not having taught anything of importance. I found that it is important to educate parents about the way that I teach. I try to reassure them that even though their child’s writing might not look the way theirs did in school, something productive is going on. In some ways, teaching the parents is easier than teaching my colleagues.

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  11. Describe your writing journey through school:
    a) What is your opinion of the writing instruction you received in school?
    To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I feel about the actual instruction of writing while I was in elementary and secondary school. I just remember thinking I wasn't 'good' at writing. I think this is something students feel all too often. I didn't feel I was able to articulate my thoughts and ideas well on paper. I felt at times and still do that there is a lack of creative organization in my writing. For these reasons writing was something that I HAD to do, rather than I did for pleasure. Although, as the years have gone by and I have experienced so much more in my life, I find free writing comes more easily. In regard to the instruction of writing, I don't remember really being taught how to write well, it was almost as if it was expected. I remember learning how to write for research papers and more academic work and of course the basic structure of how a paper should look and the components of a writing sample, however I don't recall it ever being fun or creative.

    b) What or Who was instrumental in helping you to become a writer?
    Reading has really influenced my writing recently. Especially reading other peoples work in a variety of styles. I have a close friend who is extremely talented with her words, she does free lance writing for food, wine and travel magazines as well as has her own blog. I find her to be influential as well in regard to writing. I think when you read, whether its the New Yorker or a great novel, you are inspired in a way by what defines a writer. You begin to notice certain styles and ways of expressing ideas and conveying the message you want within that writing in a fluid way. I still have a lot to learn before I consider myself a writer.
    c) Do you only write for academic purposes or do you write for other reasons outside of the world of academia? (Currently) I do a lot of writing for academic purposes, but I also write for pleasure. I have kept a travel journal of what I did as well as add to it when I think of something that has inspired me or something that I want to cherish. This, recent trip I just took, had me filling up free time by writing of my experiences.I love to look back on those entries as it takes me right back to that precise moment in time.
    2. Describe your journey as a writing teacher thus far in your career:
    a) What strengths do you bring regarding the teaching of writing (whether you consider yourself a novice or expert)? Well, this class thus far has taught me new ways to look at the writing process. These ways are not only creative but engaging and fun. I really think writing should start off as a neutral way to express yourself. Not worrying about the logistics to start with, but rather to focus on just getting ideas on paper. I think then, working on developing these ideas into a fluid piece.
    b) What is your greatest fear when it comes to the teaching of writing?
    I hope I can get my students into the habit of writing and not fearing the process. I want them to take it as something that can be enjoyable and not worry that they aren't good at it or dread it.

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