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My love of writing was rekindled at Monash in my second undergraduate year when I took a creative writing unit. This is only kind of writing that has ever truly appealed to me. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer. A real writer. Like Steven King. But then I got to uni, signed up all the English classes I could and realised fucking hated writing. It wasn’t until I was actually required to write a creative piece during that second year when it dawned on me that I didn’t hate writing; I hated academic writing. All those rules! The boring, loathsome, dry-arse topics! The having to stop and find references (those things I learnt meant frantically typing keywords into the JSTOR search bar and pulling up some article that sounded relevant and quoting a line from the first page). But creative writing, writing a story about people and stuff, and things happening, felt enticing. I still write- creatively- now, but less. Still love it, though.

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"Having to leave an opportunity to teach writing to write." I agree there's something wrong with that!

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"Having to leave an opportunity to teach writing to write." I agree there's something wrong with that!

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An opening salutation and a positive comment.
Jake has worked well this semester

Has Jake worked well, well well enough for Jake

Reports are relative

To the time I have, Jake’s behaviour that day,

How messy the house is, how much wine I’ve consumed

No, I never drink when I write

She says as she gulps down the glass of Yarra Valley Cab Sav

The good stuff’s kept for relaxing on a Sunday night, not for report writing

What has Jake done this semester?

What evidence is there that he has done well?

Well …
He’s attendance has been great

And …

He regularly contributes to class

I tagged a train station on the weekend miss – it was ace

Is that relevant or random Jake

Oh totally random Miss

Jake could pay more attention.

Jake could pay more attention to his writing

(perhaps writing in his book rather than writing, tagging everybody else’s book)

He is a lively member of the class

I want to kill him most days, if only he would shut up

Is it wrong to put a student in the icy cold room that sits between two classrooms

He may actually work without distraction

It might work. Locked my cousin in the wardrobe once for a couple of hours he turned out okay.

His language analysis showed some improvement and he is now able to identify rhetorical questions and build in key aspects of the article into his response such as the title and author’s name

Jake … well Jake should, Jake could improve, Jake shows, Jake demonstrates … Jake needs to,

Jake needs to continue being Jake, his mischievousness and sense of humour brings much needed lightness to my class. Even though he doesn’t do any real work in class, and he rarely puts pen to paper Jake will be fine, provided he doesn’t end up in jail.

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N is telling a story about being forced to participate in a mandated PD for teachers in all subjects at her school. The idea is that when teachers are informed about what writing and language involve – the mechanics of language, according to systemic functional linguistics advocates – they will be more effective teachers. She tells us how the language she was accustomed to use in referring to parts of speech was taken away from her and substituted, by the leader of the mandated PD, with that colleague's preferred language. I find that as ethically appalling as the practice – now hopefully discredited – of Indigenous kids in schools in the Northern Territory being told, in the time of John Howard, they were not to use their family/home language when they were learning English. Or the bi-lingual parents up the road who stopped speaking their first language with their child because they were told by an expert that this was leading to linguistic confusion. It was the reason their child (in Grade 1 or was it 2?) was experiencing learning difficulties. Ugh.

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A student asked me yesterday- why don’t you write a book?

I told her- the world doesn’t need another book from a middle-aged, middle-class white bloke. There’s enough of them already.

It’s true, in some ways.

Maybe not true, in another.

It’s largely an excuse, anyway.

But these days I’m writing for fun, again.

I met Ellen at the AATE conference in Hobart. She was helping out, and I was attending, and somehow we ended up out for drinks late that night with a bunch of others, enthusing over song lyrics and poetry we love. Somehow, the conversation continued online. Talking about the books and poems and songs you love just seems vital. And then, somehow, I started writing poetry again, something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager. Writing for fun.  So here’s one I wrote recently.

How to write a poem.

There isn’t one way to write a poem

Since a good poem, if performed correctly, is a response to a situation

And situations vary.

Nevertheless, there are a few general principles which it does well to remember when composing a poem.

First, you need to remember that the poem draws its strength from your balance and your stance upon the earth.

Centre yourself; your whole body should be involved.

Let the power of the poem rise from your feet, through your legs

Through the twist of your torso

and the turning of your shoulders

and extension of the arm.

Try to stay relaxed until the moment of impact

The moment of connection

And don’t forget to breathe, exhaling as you release the poem.

Remember that a good poem can fulfil a number of different functions.

It could be a way to measure distance

Or it could be a feint, intended to test reactions.

It could be a distraction, a setup, creating an opening for another more powerful poem to follow.

It might be an attack in and of itself, or a defensive move, to cover a retreat.

Always keep in mind that the poem might land on target, but it might not-

You need to be prepared for both eventualities.

Beginning poets often forget it, but returning to guard is a component part of composing a poem,

And, the poem done, you should aim to be relaxed, yet poised, ready to strike again-

present to the moment, attentive.

The poem done, don’t stand still

Move away

Adjust your stance

Readjust to circumstances.

Look for openings

For another poem.

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Hands annotating. Fingers pressing keys. Furrowing brows. Signs appearing on pages, tactile and digital representations.

I find myself witnessing a ‘slow effacement’. As weeks slip by too quickly, writing becomes a workout rather than a journey. I find myself speaking to parents and students in mixed sports metaphors:

“The exam is a marathon.”

“You have to train for it.”

“Write a little each day.”

“Time yourself. Make calculations of progress.”

There are still spaces for linguistic play, of course. But they have to be fought for, wrestled to the ground. Claimed. The moments of euphoria as we talk and breach horizon lines resonate, but are inevitably weighted with guilt. They are eroded by bells, dates, deadlines.

Metaphorical end-stopped lines.

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I want to read Narelle's theatre reviews! Especially the scathing ones!

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I want to read Narelle's theatre reviews! Especially the scathing ones!

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When I was teaching Year 8 last year, my class told me about their previous English teacher. I usually stopped the students from ranting about my colleagues, but enough of them referred to this particular teacher that I thought it might be important to debrief their experiences and make some sense of them. Some of the students who knew they had been marked as 'low' or 'weak' by teachers (and possibly their parents) told me that they had received 0-30% on every assessment task. One of my students told me how ashamed this had made her feel. It outraged me, and I couldn't understand how this sort of teaching fit with differentiation. Some of these students were many levels below others in their class (if we want to use  terminology from curriculum documents) and were writing very interesting pieces at their level. The SOLO rubrics - that my school was shifting towards with great enthusiasm - included some 'top' level skills that some of these students may never be able to reach, despite trying and working hard. Some were deeply conceptual, academic and filled with inaccessible jargon. For that year, I allowed the students to work in their own way, on their own choice of topics (when possible), supporting and scaffolding their work, and always approaching feedback from a strengths-based rather than deficit-based perspective. I miss that class.

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When I was teaching Year 8 last year, my class told me about their previous English teacher. I usually stopped the students from ranting about my colleagues, but enough of them referred to this particular teacher that I thought it might be important to debrief their experiences and make some sense of them. Some of the students who knew they had been marked as 'low' or 'weak' by teachers (and possibly their parents) told me that they had received 0-30% on every assessment task. One of my students told me how ashamed this had made her feel. It outraged me, and I couldn't understand how this sort of teaching fit with differentiation. Some of these students were many levels below others in their class (if we want to use  terminology from curriculum documents) and were writing very interesting pieces at their level. The SOLO rubrics - that my school was shifting towards with great enthusiasm - included some 'top' level skills that some of these students may never be able to reach, despite trying and working hard. Some were deeply conceptual, academic and filled with inaccessible jargon. For that year, I allowed the students to work in their own way, on their own choice of topics (when possible), supporting and scaffolding their work, and always approaching feedback from a strengths-based rather than deficit-based perspective. I miss that class.

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I think we need to take back the 'writer' label from whomever claims to own it....or who we imagine those people to be. Some remote figurehead who bestows the label 'writer' upon us. I say we give it to ourselves (if we want it), and give it to our students, if they want it. It belongs to anyone who wishes to claim it, I reckon.

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(Careful. Do you want to read on?)
I am an English teacher. I write all the time. Most of it is required writing. Some is not. I enjoy writing for audiences I know - i.e., my students. When things are going well I weave in shared jokes and stories we live out every day of Year 9 English. I write as much to amuse myself as to engage my students. That’s not a revelation about me as a writer (or not a writer). That’s me as an educator, I’m embarrassed to say.

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This might get a bit postmodern (or meta) but my formative writing experience at university was writing about my English education in #EESY (Graham's tutorial). I found that the experience of reflecting on my schooling as a pre-service teacher allowed me to gain insight into the pedagogy and values of my English teachers, to think about what worked and didn't work for me as a student, and to make sense of myself as a writing and teacher (and a teacher of writing). I was delighted to have the opportunity to write autobiographically at university - especially since the 'core' subjects felt mechanical and detatched from the reality of the classroom. It made teaching feel authentic and connected to my own experiences, helped me develop reflective practice, and contributed to my development as a writer.

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This might get a bit postmodern (or meta) but my formative writing experience at university was writing about my English education in #EESY (Graham's tutorial). I found that the experience of reflecting on my schooling as a pre-service teacher allowed me to gain insight into the pedagogy and values of my English teachers, to think about what worked and didn't work for me as a student, and to make sense of myself as a writing and teacher (and a teacher of writing). I was delighted to have the opportunity to write autobiographically at university - especially since the 'core' subjects felt mechanical and detatched from the reality of the classroom. It made teaching feel authentic and connected to my own experiences, helped me develop reflective practice, and contributed to my development as a writer.

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Does having a collection of notepads make me writing?

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My students are often scared to write. They are experts in English, after all, they speak it fluently - so why are they scared? I get them to talk about what they want to say (either with me or a fellow student), then ask them to write down what they said....and they're really shocked by their own ideas - their own words. Why is this? 

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My students are often scared to write. They are experts in English, after all, they speak it fluently - so why are they scared? I get them to talk about what they want to say (either with me or a fellow student), then ask them to write down what they said....and they're really shocked by their own ideas - their own words. Why is this? 

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I'm going 0.8 next year... partly, to make space for writing

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I'm going 0.8 next year... partly, to make space for writing

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When I told Ceridwen and Scott this they cautioned against the probable spill of work over to that 0.2 I will now have 'spare'. I told them that I was looking forward to that, as I would then still have two weekend days to myself.

Theoretically.

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Does seeing writing as a craft influence the teaching of writing as a craft

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Does seeing writing as a craft influence the teaching of writing as a craft

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What's wrong with actual grammar? Why do I need to call them DESCRIPTORS instead of ADJECTIVES?

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I find Rose's writing style and the way he presents his research really enabling. It's not just the topics of his research -- but the way he writes it, the way he weaves narrative, field work, family histories, theory, and policy into a seamless document. He pushes the boundaries of academic prose. He has sympathy for the struggle of writing.

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I was a writer. a paid one, working for a publisher - full time. It was exhausting...and I didn't do any reading or writing on my own terms. 

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I was a writer. a paid one, working for a publisher - full time. It was exhausting...and I didn't do any reading or writing on my own terms. 

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Writing a postcard... or trying to, anyway

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Writing a postcard... or trying to, anyway

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I’m in my early twenties. I’ve been in a job for a few years that hardly ever required me to communicate via the written word. I’m writing a postcard to a really good friend about a holiday I wish she was enjoying with me. I have had to tear up the first two (preferred postcards) because I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. How many crossings out is permitted in a personal postcard? The pressure is on me as a writer. Can I write anything that is not painfully mortifying, that will not jeopardise the budding relationship? I suspect that this why other writers write...

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Definition of 'write': mark letters, words or others symbols on a surface with  pen, pencil or similar implement. So is typing not writing??

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Definition of 'write': mark letters, words or others symbols on a surface with  pen, pencil or similar implement. So is typing not writing??

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I'm considering my role as an enabler for rural students to engage in the language of power. We do lots of 'posh it up' practice with sentences and ideas in class - working on the board, co-constructing meaning and working out ways to get the big marks - or, in my class's case, to get a pass. Loved what Rose refers to as 'an introduction, a phrase book, a travel guide to a vocabulary of ideas...' Reminds me that I do some important things, sometimes. Demystifying academic language and allowing these kids into the realm of the big wigs.  

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I'm considering my role as an enabler for rural students to engage in the language of power. We do lots of 'posh it up' practice with sentences and ideas in class - working on the board, co-constructing meaning and working out ways to get the big marks - or, in my class's case, to get a pass. Loved what Rose refers to as 'an introduction, a phrase book, a travel guide to a vocabulary of ideas...' Reminds me that I do some important things, sometimes. Demystifying academic language and allowing these kids into the realm of the big wigs.  

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Writing as something you do for 'performance'

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Writing as something you do for 'performance'

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We are talking at our table about how there is a hierarchy in writing genres, that means that commercially successful literary fiction is seen as the most legitimate, and then there is a whole string of other genres and writing that fall beneath that. This can be reinforced by the programming of writers' festivals, publishing marketing, and text lists. So -- even when we write, we may not see each other as 'real writers' -- even if we a published!! -- unless we one day become commercially successful literary fiction writers on a writers' festival program.

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I like phones better than emails.