Blog 10

Good articles for our final blog. First, I need to say that I found the Aleandro piece very inspiring- it almost made me want to become a teacher! I thought reading her accounts of teaching underprivilidged elementary students were fascinating. If only all educators could be so passionate about their work and desire to make a difference in students' lives. My favorite quote from Aleandro was "Treat students as if they were all gifted and talented, and they will show you that in some way or in many ways, they are" (WTL 144). Aleandro has both trust and faith in her students, regardless of how young they are, and as we discussed with previous readings teachers need to trust students more and have faith in their ability to surprise and excel in their work. Aleandro's classrooms are a great example of what happens when teachers trust students.

I loved her interdisciplinary idea of bringing the world of art into the world of writing. I agree with her statement that "most writing is visually dependent" (133) and the art world is a great way to demonstrate this idea with young kids, or any age students for that matter. More importantly, Aleandro discusses that she wants to teach her students to learn 'how to see' and how to interpret data from the world around them. This is what writing is supposed to do, but it often gets neglected (in my opinion). I think it's wonderful that she teaches this to her students at such a young age, giving them the necessary tools to become strong writers. I loved when she was talking about how she doubted any of her young students had witnessed anything beautiful in their lives "because nobody had shown them how to see it" (133). What a sad concept. I think bringing the visual arts into writing is great because it not only expands the students knowledge to a wider scope, but also because it teaches how everything is connected and writing is one way to explore that. Interdisciplinary techniques are also a good approach to writing because every student is able to find something they connect with, which we know fuels good writing.

The Andrews piece was also good- another way of integrating the arts (this time performance) into writing. The analogy of writing being like a dance rehearsal was a good comparison. I think it was important that she mentioned that writing should not be a competition, rather an individual challenge. This helps to take the pressure off the writers and allow them to produce their very best work without comparision to others. Writing is supposed to make us feel a sense of achievement in that we have reached a personal best without being judged by others. The idea that everyone should be published (in some format) to increase a sense of self confidence is a good one. Everyone should have their moment to shine and feel proud of their work since writing is supposed to be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.