Blog 1

Hairston’s article in Writing, Teaching, Learning, A Sourcebook has opened my eyes to one of the major flaws in teaching writing in the United States. I find it fascinating to learn that many professors who teach writing at the college level are not experts in that specific field. As an undergraduate music major, I would compare it to having a trumpet performance professor giving lessons to a vocal performance major in the correct techniques of singing. Just because that instructor holds a Masters or Ph.D in music, he or she is not necessarily qualified to teach in all disciplines of music. To the same extent, we cannot expect all faculty members with a Masters or Ph.D in English to be proficient at teaching writing.

In regard to the much needed paradigm shift in our approaches to teaching writing, I can certainly recall that most of the English teachers I encountered were more worried about the product than they were about the process. I find the new research being done to study the composing process used by various writers to be very encouraging. It seems to make sense that in order to help students develop a stronger writing process, we must first understand what process they are following when approaching their writing.

This article did leave me with a few questions: How long will it take for a new paradigm to completely replace the existing one? Most of the changes seem to be happening at the college level, so how will these changes make their way into secondary education classrooms? If a student goes from a teacher who is instructing them in the new paradigm to one still employing the old paradigm, how will that student be affected?

From the standpoint of a professional actor, Murphy’s article on writing stories reminded me of the importance storytelling plays in both our culture and in our individual development as human beings. Through stage performing, I have realized the positive effect good storytelling can have on others, not only from the standpoint of entertainment but also from an intellectual and emotional perspective as well. Having students tell stories, rather than giving strict writing assignments, is a great way to help them become more interested not just in what they are writing but in the process of writing as well.

One of my most memorable experiences as a writer was when I was composing a personal essay about working with my grandfather on his farm. My English teacher kept pushing me to be more detailed with my descriptions. Undertaking this exploratory process somehow unlocked in me an ability to narrate events at a deeper level than I had previously been able to attain.

Reading Frank Smith’s chapter on the question of “Why Write” was certainly a great follow-up to the discussions we had both in the classroom and on the blog. I was glad to see that with all of the positives that Smith associates with language and writing, he is also clear to point out “that language can be employed in insidious ways too”(15). While reading this section, I began to question whether one can actually hide behind written language. I have had several experiences in which a friend or colleague will act one particular way in person, but an almost entirely different personality will emerge in written form via emails, letters, or instant messaging. The question becomes whether these individuals are simply trying to avoid conflict when face to face or are they in a way using writing as a place behind which they can hide their true selves and feelings?