How does Nancy Atwell’s story strike you and consider the subtopics in Peterson’s chapters 1 & 2 as a teacher writing in your discipline?
Both Atwell’s story and the Peterson readings really made me aware of the many issues that come with timed, topic assigned writing activities. The issues are not new to me, as I have on many occasions felt the panic and pressure of trying to get meaningful words on paper in a given slot of time on a subject which may or may not resonate with me in any real way. However, it is so easy to forget this as a teacher, and to assign a time-specific writing activity and expect students to use that time wisely and produce thoughtful work, simply as a means to an end in conforming to curriculum. The problem is, writing is an art. It is a process that is unique to each individual. Not every topic is going to spark creativity in every student and not every student can get words down on paper when the teacher says ‘go’. Atwell’s story about her student Jeff and the ways in which her own philosophy as an English teacher evolved really underlined for me the importance of freedom of writing. Especially in the discipline of English or Writer’s Craft, creative writing can not truly be ‘creative’ unless the student is given full freedom in the writing process; that is, what they write about (topic), and how they write (genre and process).
In contrast however, Peterson states that many of his/her students preferred a well-defined topic to already be in place so that they have a starting point. The Grade 9 English class that I taught during my practicum wanted specific instructions, directions, and examples for every writing assignment that I gave. I remarked more than once to my AT that I felt frustrated by the lack of imagination and creativity that the students had shown, and the reason that we came up with for this is that the school system had more or less stripped students of their creativity and made them wary of ‘discovery’ or exploratory writing for fear of being told they were wrong. I found this very sad, and so I felt very hopeful reading Atwell’s story, as I think this is the answer. Allowing students to have full choice will result in forcing them to be creative. The ‘Writing to Learn’ activities that we looked at in class today is one way to facilitate this and jump the hurdle of students having ‘no idea what to write about’. As Atwell stresses, when allowed to explore topics and issues that students are genuinely interested in and care about, they will find something to say and a unique and engaging way to say it.
I like the association of jumping the hurdle with the learning to write activities. I think the poetry exercise we did with Deanna Young helped to also illustrate how these on the spot activities help to get words on the page in ways that surprise us about what we know.
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