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C.S. Lewis once said, “You can make anything by writing.” This quote has stuck with me throughout my life for multiple reasons. First, my mother would reiterate this quote when I doubted my self-efficacy in challenging writing situations. I struggled immensely with writing and reading as a child. Second, I often reflected on this quote during my writing classes in college. It helped spark my creativity and encouraged me to think outside the box. When I think about Lewis’s words, I think about how the intricate combination of symbols strung together to form words, and word after word turn into sentences. Sentences turn into power. It was not until I realized that my thoughts could turn into something spectacular that the world of writing truly blossomed.

Coming from a family of artists, I often think about my early experiences in elementary school. Because I struggled with writing, my writing tasks often resulted in an illustrative creation. In “In Pictures and In Words,” the author illustrates the importance of giving students the opportunity to tell stories through pictures. Ray states, “Because it takes some time for children to become fluent and proficient with transcription (getting words down on paper), being able to represent meaning in illustrations makes so much more possible for beginning writers”(Ray, 2010, pg. 10). I think about how my stories came alive, not through words, but through pictures. Although my mother never kept the stories that I wrote through pictures, I remember them vividly because they were the most creative. They illustrated a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead of the teacher scolding me for using pictures, she praised me for developing a creative story.

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It was not until I entered my senior year that my self-efficacy for writing strengthened. I can attest my heightened self-efficacy to my English teacher, Mrs. Taylor. As a teacher, you may know what your students are capable of, but they may not believe in themselves enough to try. While I can not distinguish one event that destroyed my confidence in writing, I believe it was a combination of not having an efficient amount of support with the low expectations that educators and I set for myself. Teaching involves revealing students potential and connecting with them on a deeper level. Teaching involves convincing every student that they are important and capable. When I think about the teacher I want to become, I think about how Mrs. Taylor molded my attitude towards writing and reading.

Before her class, I characterized myself as a horrible writer. As I read essay requirements, my heart would skyrocket, I would slowly sink down into my chair, and I slowly sunk farther into the belief that I could not write well. In the end, it was not the writing or reading I struggled with, it was the belief that I could not write or read well. Some teachers offer stickers to students who do a good job, but she offered opportunities for improvement for those who did not. In “Discourses of Writing and Learning to Write” Ivanic states, “This view of writing is connected to the belief that people learn to write by writing, hence learning to write involves writing as much as possible” (Ivanic, 2004, pg. 10). Mrs. Taylor practiced what the author is suggesting. She believed that through practice, all her students could become exceptional writers.

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Because of my experiences in school, I entered college with hesitation. In “Discourses of Writing and Learning to Write,” Ivanic discusses the shift in emphasis on product to processes of writing. The text states, “These beliefs about writing and learning to write are very attractive to teachers and policy makers, because they translate into a set of elements which can be taught explicitly and which have an inherent sequence”(Ivanic, 2004, pg. 12). When I learned how to master the process of writing, I learned that writing was essentially a formula. While the formula for writing is often ambiguous, once you realize what it is, writing becomes very much a process.

Writing in college has become exclusively process driven. Because of this, I lack any interest in doing it. I contemplate a hook, I break up an essay into sections and I write until I meet the page requirements. Unfortunately, this is just the way college writing is. You are writing for a purpose. That purpose is for a grade. When I think about Ivanic’s words, I realize that while the process of writing is critical, the product is what is being graded. Writing has gotten easier over time, but the joy of writing has vanished. When I start teaching, I want to bring the creativity back into writing.

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Ivanic, R. (2004). Discourses of Writing and Learning to Write (3rd ed., Vol. 18). Language and Education.

Ray, K. W. (2010). In Pictures and In Words. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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Jarrod Radnich - Virtuosic Piano Solo - Don't Stop Believin'  - HD