Blog 8

First of all, I totally agree with Seth and Danielle about the Hartwell article. I actually thought for awhile that I was reading Smith all along. I found Hartwell to be a painful read. It seemed like an awful lot of wasted words to come to the conclusion the reader already expected.

So, it turns out that all those miserable grammar classes were a waste of time after all. There is a part of me that feels kind of vindicated on that point.

Actually, this time around, I found Smith to be pretty interesting. I like the concept that “writing is learned rather than taught” (215). If I were ever to find myself teaching composition I think that would be my mantra. When you think about it from this angle it really makes sense to take the focus off of teaching and put it back on learning. This also explains why writing (both in process and product) and different for everyone. There is no truly right way to write.

Finally, I especially though that Smith’s concept of beginning writers as apprentices. After all, what is writing if not a skilled trade? Just like any other hands on art the product varies from artist to artist.

This section of reading has me convinced that breaking writing down into distinct parts (composing, reading, grammar, spelling, etc.) in the classroom is counter-effective. Rather than fracturing knowledge, teachers should be showing students how the bigger picture comes together.