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Lisa Delpit is Executive Director of the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at Florida International University, in the United States. Her research and advocacy work focuses on the best ways to provide educational access for African-American students. Delpit questions the effectiveness of some progressive approaches to pedagogy. Here, she discusses the difficulties students face who are not part of the 'culture of power'.

A few years ago I worked on an analysis of two popular reading programs, Distar [Direct Instruction, an explicit program of teaching basic skills based on scripted lessons] and a progressive program that focused on higher-level critical thinking skills. In one of the first lessons of the progressive program, the children are introduced to the names of the letters m and e. In the same lesson they are then taught the sound made by each of the letters, how to write each of the letters, and that when the two are blended together they produce the word me.

As an experienced first-grade teacher, I am convinced that a child needs to be familiar with a significant number of these concepts to be able to assimilate so much new knowledge in one sitting. By contrast, Distar presents the same information in about forty lessons.

I would not argue for the pace of Distar lessons-such a slow pace would only bore most kids -but what happened in the other lesson is that it merely provided an opportunity for those who already knew the content to exhibit that they knew it, or at most perhaps to build one new concept onto what was already known. This meant that the child who did not come to school already primed with what was to be presented would be labeled as needing 'remedial' instruction from day one; indeed, this determination would be made before he or she was ever taught. In fact, Distar was 'successful' because it actually taught new information to children who had not already acquired it at home. Although the more progressive system was ideal for some children, for others it was a disaster.

I do not advocate a simplistic 'basic skills' approach for children outside of the culture of power. It would be (and has been) tragic to operate as if these children were incapable of critical and higher-order thinking and reasoning. Rather, I suggest that schools must provide these children the content that other families from a different cultural orientation provide at home. This does not mean separating children according to family background, but instead, ensuring that each classroom incorporate strategies appropriate for all the children in its confines.

And I do not advocate that it is the school's job to attempt to change the homes of poor and nonwhite children to match the homes of those in the culture of power. That may indeed be a form of cultural genocide. I have frequently heard schools call poor parents 'uncaring' when parents respond to the school's urging, saying, 'But that's the school's job'. What the school personnel fail to understand is that if the parents were members of the culture of power and lived by its rules and codes, then they would transmit those codes to their children. In fact, they transmit another culture that children must learn at home in order to survive in their communities ...

I suggest that students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American life, not by being forced to attend to hollow, inane, decontextualized subskills, but rather within the context of meaningful communicative endeavors; that they must be allowed the resource of the teacher's expert knowledge, while being helped to acknowledge their own 'expertness' as well; and that even while students are assisted in learning the culture of power, they; they must also be helped to learn about the arbitrariness of those codes and about the power relationships they represent.

I am also suggesting that appropriate education for poor children and children of color can only be devised in consultation with adults who share their culture. Black parents, teachers of color, and members of poor communities must be allowed to participate fully in the discussion of what kind of instruction is in their children's best interest. Good liberal intentions are not enough.

Although the problem is not necessarily inherent in the method, in some instances adherents of process approaches to writing create situations in which students ultimately find themselves held accountable for knowing a set of rules about which no one has ever directly informed them ... If such explicitness is not provided to students, what it feels like to people who are old enough to judge is that there are secrets being kept, that time is being wasted, that the teacher is abdicating his or her duty to teach. A doctoral student of my acquaintance was assigned to a writing class to hone his writing skills. The student was placed in the section led by a white professor who utilized a process approach, consisting primarily of having the students write essays and then assemble into groups to edit each other's papers. That procedure infuriated this particular student. He had many angry encounters with the teacher about what she was doing. In his words:

'I didn't feel she was teaching us anything. She wanted us to correct each other's papers and we were there to learn from her. She didn't teach anything, absolutely nothing. Maybe they're trying to learn what Black folks knew all the time. We understand how to improvise, how to express ourselves creatively. When I'm in a classroom, I'm not looking for that, I'm looking for structure, the more formal language. Now my buddy was in [a] Black teacher's class. And that lady was very good. She went through and explained and defined each part of the structure. This [white] teacher didn't get along with that black teacher. She said that she didn't agree with her methods. But I don't think that white teacher had any methods.'

When I told this gentleman that what the teacher was doing was called a process method of teaching writing, his response was, 'Well, at least now I know that she thought she was doing something. I thought she was just a fool who couldn't teach and didn't want to try.' This sense of being cheated can be so strong that the student may be completely turned off to the educational system ...

In thinking through these issues, I have found what I believe to be a connecting and complex theme: what I have come to call 'the culture of power.' There are five aspects of power I would like to propose as given ...

1. Issues of power are enacted in classrooms. These issues include: the power of the teacher over the students; the power of the publishers of textbooks and of the developers of the curriculum to determine the view of the world presented; the power of the state in enforcing compulsory schooling; and the power of an individual or group to determine another's intelligence or "normalcy." Finally, if schooling prepares people for jobs, and the kind of job a person has determines her or his economic status and, therefore, power, then schooling is intimately related to that power.

2. There are codes or rules for participating in power; that is, there is a 'culture of power'. The codes or rules I'm speaking of relate to linguistic forms, communicative strategies, and presentation of self; that is, ways of talking, ways of writing, ways of dressing, and ways of interacting.

3. The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power. This means that success in-institutions-schools, work places, and so on-is predicated upon acquisition of the culture of those who are in power. Children from middle-class homes tend to do better in school than those from non middle-class homes because the culture of the school is based on the culture of the upper and middle classes-of those in power. The upper and middle classes send their children to school with all the accoutrements of the culture of power; children from other kinds of families operate within perfectly wonderful and viable cultures but not cultures that carry the codes or rules of power.

4. If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier. In my work within and between diverse cultures, I have come to conclude that members of any culture transmit information implicitly to co-members. However, when implicit codes are attempted across cultures, communication frequently breaks down. Each cultural group is left saying, Why don't those people say what they mean? as well as, What's wrong with them, why don't they understand? ...

5. Those with power are frequently least aware of-or least willing to acknowledge-its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence. For many who consider themselves members of liberal or radical camps, acknowledging personal power and admitting participation in the culture of power is distinctly uncomfortable. On the other hand, those who are less powerful in any situation are most likely to recognize the power variable most acutely.

Delpit, Lisa D. 1988. The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children. Harvard Educational Review 58:280-298. pp. 286, 296.

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Lisa Delpit is Executive Director of the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at Florida International University, in the United States. Her research and advocacy work focuses on the best ways to provide educational access for African-American students. Delpit questions the effectiveness of some progressive approaches to pedagogy.

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Writing remains a shifting fuzzy cloud floating in a wide subjective sky.
getty

This week, teachers all over the country have been sharing tales of teaching that most difficult of subjects-writing. They are addressing the great underlying question-why is it so hard to teach people to write well?

There are numerous obstacles to teaching writing well. Some are self-inflicted; entirely too many teachers of writing do not actually write themselves. This is a hard trick to pull off, like a music teacher who never sings or plays a note or a cooking teacher who never spends a minute of their day in the kitchen. Yes, it's hard to find the time, but it's still necessary.

Some of the obstacles have been inflicted on the field from outside. Standardized testing, teaching manuals, moldy sets of traditional rules, top-down standards-all create obstacles to teaching writing in any meaningful and effective manner.

Those obstacles persist like iron-clad cockroaches because of the fundamental problem of teaching writing. Where many people want nice neat rules and criteria arranged in shiny, set-in-concrete rows, writing remains a shifting fuzzy cloud floating in a wide subjective sky.

Who is a better writer? Steinbeck or Hemingway or Chopin or Hughes or Morrison or Shakespeare? The question is meaningless, because each author creates their own thing that lives at the intersection of their time and place and point of view (as does each reader). And if that's true of the classic authors, why would it not also be true of the students sitting in your fifth period class?

When has a student "mastered" writing? It's another meaningless question, because there is no clear point of mastery in writing, just as there is no point at which a writer of any age can kick back and say, "That's it. I'm there. No more growth is necessary, or even possible." As I often told my students, you are either growing or losing ground; there is no standing still.

Writing, even formal writing, remains a personal expression. There is no single correct response to a writing prompt, no single correct way to prepare to write, no single correct way to draft a piece of writing, no single correct way to polish the draft. The only "correct" way to write is the method that works best for the individual writer.

Of course, many students have been taught the single "correct" method for all of those pieces of the writing process. Make an outline. Start with a single sentence, then turn it into a paragraph, rinse and repeat. Write five paragraphs, each at least three sentences long. Here's a template to follow in writing this piece. All have been popular and widespread at one time or another. A small percentage of students found them useful, and that makes teachers feel better about inflicting them on the rest of the students in class.

The rise of standardized testing has made things even worse, with the most egregious versions based on the notion that there is only one correct essay to be written in response to the prompt.

For too many teachers, administrators, bureaucrats, and data crunchers, these monolithic approaches to writing are comforting because they provide certainty, set clean clear objectives, provide measurable outcomes and create comparable data sets. In some classrooms, teachers and students become complicit in the shortcut; I'm not sure how to assess essays, and you're not sure how to write them, so we'll just all work from this checklist of easy-to-measure characteristics (easily identifiable topic sentence in each paragraph? check!).

Nothing in this approach gets us to actual writing-just a performance that looks kind of like writing.

None of this is to suggest that the answer is to just throw up our hands and treat every collection of words on a page as equally awesome. But teachers have become comfortable living in a world where one size never fits all and student writing is taken on its own terms.

Writing is a wild and squishy field, but there are still assessment questions for the teacher to ask. Does the writing do what it set out to do (and can you tell what that purpose is)? Is it clear? Is it effectively supported? Is it organized in such a way that it carries you forward? Is the language effective and sharp? Do technical errors get in the way of the writing doing its job?

These are all questions that each writer can answer in their own writing in their own way. Considering all those different approaches makes a teacher's job a bit more challenging, but the results are far more rewarding than teaching students the writing equivalent of paint by numbers.

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This week, teachers all over the country have been sharing tales of teaching that most difficult of subjects-writing. They are addressing the great underlying question-why is it so hard to teach people to write well? There are numerous obstacles to teaching writing well. Some are self-inflicted; entirely too many teachers of writing do not actually write themselves.

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Co-director of the National Writing Project Elyse Eidman-Aadahl describes how the craft of storytelling is evolving, as new digital tools and communications technologies enable connections for content creators around the globe.

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Elyse Eidman-Aadahl on Writing in the Digital Age (Big Thinkers Series)

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Co-director of the National Writing Project Elyse Eidman-Aadahl describes how the craft of storytelling is evolving, as new digital tools and communications technologies enable connections for content creators around the globe.

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Some say English instruction must get back to basics, with a focus on grammar. But won’t that stifle a student’s personal voice?

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This artifact made me think about how I have viewed the way writing was being taught to me. What classes did I enjoy more than others and could this have anything to do with it? Growing up in a middle-class suburban school system, I was not faced with these challenges when it came to learning writing or being a writer.

This artifact made me think about how I choose to teach writing. Do I acknowledge the power differentials in my classroom? This excerpt stood out to me the most, "schools must provide these children the content that other families from a different cultural orientation provide at home. This does not mean separating children according to family background, but instead, ensuring that each classroom incorporate strategies appropriate for all the children in its confines" (Delpit, 1988). I think this single quote encapsulates a very challenging task that all teachers face in the simplest of words. How do we provide a method of teaching writing that appeals and reaches every student when they can be so diverse?

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?
This artifact made me feel like even as the educator who is supposed to understand these expectations, they aren't overly clear to me as a writer. I can understand where most of them are coming from, and why they would be important standards to implement, but I'm startled by the lack of differentiation. I notice that it lists steps like conducting research, using different types of writing (informative, narrative, argument), and drawing evidence from literary works which as a writer are all very important parts to the whole picture.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?
By looking at the standards for grades 6-8 together and then 10-12 together, I noticed that over the span of each section the standards don't change much. Looking from left to right the standards stated are almost identical. When teaching writing to a 6th grade class versus an 8th grade class I would hope that the expectations would have a clear definition and difference. I know that if personally teaching, I would expect different things from different ages of students. So why don't the NYS writing standards portray this better? Is it because they are so vague and all encompassing?

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When reading this artifact and thinking about myself as a writer, I found it interesting that they pointed out how "students with higher confidence in their writing ability perform better". I find this true personally about many things including writing. When I am more confident, or feel better prepared, I find that I do better. I also think it was interesting how they pointed out the importance of both the freedom of things like free-writing and the importance of the teaching of grammar and sentence structure, but also the restrictions focusing on one or the other too much can create.

When looking at this artifact through the lens of teaching writing I found it very interesting that through research about a select group of teachers they had "found that fewer than half had taken a college class that devoted significant time to the teaching of writing, while fewer than a third had taken a class solely devoted to how children learn to write". This surprises me because as teachers of writing, how can we expect to not only be able to but also to be confident in teaching writing if we have not studied how to do so? This relates directly back to what I mentioned above-- with more preparedness comes more confidence, and with that comes better performance.

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This article shed light on how much language, environment, and upbringing play a role in an individual’s success. While reading this article I thought about my own upbringing, environment, the culture I was apart of, and how it may have impacted me as a student, a writer, and even an educator. I am a first generation Palestinian-American, and neither one of my parents finished high school. I grew up in a predominantly Arab speaking household and was immediately placed in an ESL class, when I started school, even though I spoke fluent English. My teachers were both white and I remember as an elementary school student never learning anything in that ESOL class. Every question they asked I answered, correctly and was never given anything more challenging or that contributed to any sort of growth in my Language and Literacy skills. I was generally great in ELA, top of my class, but I was still placed and had to remain in ESOL. I think this altered the way I felt about writing because although I understood and scored high in writing assignments growing up, I never really liked writing because ESL wasn’t an exciting experience for me. I felt like I had to do more to achieve a level of literacy I already achieved, thus making my feelings about writing very similar to the feelings I had about that ESOL experience. Similarly,  in high school I was a creative writing major and in one of my classes, the feedback I received on my work changed the content of my work and seldom actually contributed to the skills or structures I should have been learning. It makes me feel like my writing now, as an adult, is messy, and unorganized.

I read another work by Andratesha Fritzgerald, called “Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning” in which she Quotes Delpit saying, “The teacher cannot be the only expert in the classroom. To deny students their own expert knowledge is to disempower them.” After reading Artifact 1, I think it is important, as a writing teacher, to encourage students to explore their own curiosities, come to conclusions about things they wonder, and use their voice to allow them to make decisions about their learning. I want to allow students to have a say in what they learn so that they feel empowered. I want them to feel like what they learned was worthwhile.

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I see the relevance in the standards. Middle and high school students learn the processes of writing various types of works. However, As a writer, looking at the writing standards for Grades 6-8 and 9-12 was disheartening.  It reminded me of why writing wasn’t something I was excited about as a student. The standards were the same, the expectations were the same over the course of two or three years of education. There isn’t any sort of scaffolding from grades 6-8, where students can learn the foundations for a given type of writing one year, and then build on to that learning as the years go by.  As a writer looking at these standards, they are overwhelming. Putting myself in the shoes of a middle school student; seeing that I am expected to practice WHST1-7 all within my 6th grade experience, only to have to repeat that same exact process without any differentiation, or new learning outcomes in 7th and 8th grade, would make me think my education wasn’t being taken seriously.

As an educator, I know that it is important that students know what the standards are, so they know what their learning goals are for the year. While rubrics, set a clear description of what we, as educators, expect to see in our students work, having the same standards over the course of two to three years can be demotivating for my students. Teaching writing means getting a good sense of what my students are interested in, giving them a voice and a say in what they learn about. So although the standards are the same over a course of two to three years, I would somehow try to make it so that their education isn’t solely based on the standards, and that I make the writing experience worthwhile.

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Natalie Perkins:

What does this make you think about as a writer?

When I think of good writers, I tend to think about a person who can write sentences with no errors and have organizational skills in their writings.  Delpit's article tells a story about a doctoral student needing to take a writing class and thinking the teacher was not teaching the class.  The student mentions how the teacher had the students edit each other's papers, and that was the class.  Eventually, the student learns about how the other section is learning writing.  The other class is learning how to express themselves through their writing.  Students from that class are pleased with their professors and feel that they are progressing as writers.

I did not get a chance to be creative with my writing in school.  A teacher reprimanded students for not having proper grammar and mechanics.  After reading this article, I am curious if I would be more confident if I experienced a different approach to writing.

What does this make you think about when teaching writing?

The culture of power is a strong statement made throughout this article.  As urban educators, we tend to forget about the “culture of power.”  The expectation is students will have basic skills when they begin school.  Schools do not consider that these students come from all different backgrounds.  We should be modifying our curriculums for our classrooms.  Urban schools like to preach diversity on professional development days, but once we have these students in our room, we forget about our training due to administration pressure.  As I was reading, it was a powerful reminder of how the curriculum should not dictate how we teach our students.  I have worked at schools that fear to steer away from a curriculum book.  When we do that, we are doing more harm to our students.  As teachers, we want to do best for students, which means we need to take a different direction than what the curriculum book says.

I do not want students to have the same experience when learning how to write.  I did not have an opportunity to express myself without being graded harshly.  I must allow my students the opportunity to write without the pressure of grammar and mechanics.

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Natalie Perkins:

Artifact 2:  Without reading already getting irritated because it is the NYS Standards that are biased

What did this make me think about being a writer?

The standards from grade sixth to twelfth are the same.  The three types of writings students must accomplish are narrative, informational and argumentive writing.  Every year a student is writing the same three writing styles.

As a writer, there are more than three styles of writing.  I am becoming more aware that being a writer is more than writing an essay.  I was conditioned to think this way and need to have a more open mindset on how I feel about writing.  Once I finished looking at the standards, I felt a sadness in me.  I became upset that these standards are what I knew as writing throughout my schooling.

What does this make me think about teaching writing?

As I read through the standards, I noticed how the learning standards are the same for grades sixth through twelfth.  There are slight differences between the learning standards, but they are generally the same.  A teacher's job is to teach to the standards.  We are teaching the same standard at six different grade levels.  What should teachers be doing differently from grades sixth to twelfth to strengthen students writing if we are always teaching to the same standard?

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Natalie Perkins

What did this make me think about being a writer?

The article mentions how mechanics and freewriting are essential when teaching writing.  A few times in my kindergarten through twelfth-grade writing experience, I was allowed to free write.  There were a few times that teachers did not stress mechanics.  This experience with writing destroyed the way I felt about writing.  My lack of confidence in writing resulted in me now enjoying writing.  If I was not going to enjoy my writing, then the amount of effort I was going to put into my writing was lacking.  I am curious about if I were allowed to free-write.  Would I want to write more?  Would I have different feelings towards writing?

What does this make me think about teaching writing?

The title of this article, "Why Kids Can't Write,"  was relatable to the number one thing I hear other teachers complain about, which is kids not knowing how to write.  Every year the closer we get to New York State Testing, the principal stands up and announces how we need to practice writing for the test since it is not our students' strong suit.  Looks are shared around the room because we all know it, but there is never a change year after year.  This article is my answer to why nothing changes because teachers are not taught to teach writing.

In my first year teaching fifth grade, I had a wonderful mentor who asked me where I wanted my focus.  My answer was writing because I did not know where to begin.  I took math, reading, and science classes but never had a course that trained me to teach writing.  It was an odd epiphany I had that school year, and it has always baffled me that we, as educators, are not trained to teach writing.  We need to provide professional development opportunities for writing.  The more training we receive, the better our students will get with their writing skills.

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Natalie Perkins:

What did this make me think about being a writer?

I found it interesting that the article mentions how teachers do not write themselves.  I never thought that teachers who are not writing in their free time as an issue.  However, it makes sense that we should be writers if we are the ones who teach writing.  I fear writing because I never know how to get started or fear errors.  I need to start asking myself questions before I write.  The article suggests asking yourself before you write a few simple questions.  Am I getting to my point?  Is my writing clear?  Is my writing organized?  Am I using good language?  Asking myself these questions continuously as I write may help me feel more confident.

What does this make me think about teaching writing?

In the article, the author asked which writer was better, Hemingway or Steinbeck?  The question can spark a debate, both writers were terrific, and it depends on the readers' perspective of which writer is better.  Greene then continued saying why our students should not be different from these famous writers.  I agreed with the statement he made.  A student never exceeds a standard of writing.  Writing is a skill that anyone can continuously improve.

Green made me think about how I would typically grade writing in a middle school classroom.  When I taught writing briefly, I was that teacher who had the checklist.  I highlighted the rubric section that that student met, then circled a grade.  After reading the article, I quickly realize the lack of training we receive as educators in writing.  Instead of being the checklist teacher, I need to be asking about the students writing.  I feel this would be a more beneficial system for grading.  It provides the students with proper feedback.  Questions such as, did the writer do what it set out to do, offers more reasoning to a student, rather than a 1,2,3,4 scale.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

This artifact made me realize that I am not the only teacher that does not typically write in their free time. Personally, I enjoyed writing when I was in the elementary grade levels. I would write countless stories about my personal life, things I was interested in and, fictional stories that would come to mind. I found that when I entered the older grade levels writing became very difficult to me because of all the nitty gritty aspects of writing as one may say. Fast forward to present day, it is my job as an educator to teach writing, therefore I should be writing on my free time like I use to. Right? I suppose I do not because I am so focused on learning how to best teach and make sure my students understand that I have forgotten that I myself need a refresher. I fear that because of all the standardized testing there is one correct way to write which is scored during a standardized test. I fear that I as a writer will guide my students in the wrong direction that will reflect on their abilities through a test score.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

In the article it is mentioned that writing is taught through a specific structure. I was taught through this structure. I was taught to make an outline, create a topic sentence, 3-5 body paragraphs, and conclude. This way of writing is still very present in todays schools. Is this because this is the correct way? Or because it is what educators have followed for so long to prepare students to meet that standardized test requirements. When I think about teaching writing, I want my students to enjoy writing. I want them to be able to feel confident in writing, even if they are do not follow the "structure" that is provided for them that is expected. Yes I will have to create lessons that follow standards and guidelines but I struggle with this because it is what turned me away from writing.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

After watching this video I was moved by how Elyse Eidman- Aadahl talked about how one person can create content, design it, circulate it, and promote it.  Through technology writing is connected from person to person without many of the "loop holes" writers use to have to jump through. When I think about myself as a writer, I think about how my own writing through this course will be viewed by peers through technology. My peers will read my writing, respond to my writing, and relate to my writing all through a computer screen. This also makes me think about individuals who are unable to physically write. Technology provides them different resources and functions such as this platform to communicate with others. Through video or through voice recognition that provides words for them to be seen. It is truly amazing that a form of communication can be done by any individual no matter the circumstance.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

This artifact made me think about how teaching writing can be done for all students. It may look different, but can be done. Students with physical disabilities will be able to use the technology provided to communicate with students or individuals who can physically put pen to paper. This has made me as an educator realize that the way writing is taught can be done in many different ways. Technology also provides a variety of ways to teach writing. I can take a lesson that teaches students how to formulate a topic sentence through modeling, providing examples, having them brainstorm in a writers notebook, but I can also use resources through the internet that may my students my understand  better through technology based on their learning style.

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This article talks about how the rules of writing, truly go hand in hand with free writing and creative writing. It made me try my hardest to reflect on my elementary school writing experiences. I couldn’t recall learning about predicates and subjects. I do remember learning capital letter relevance, punctuation placement, nouns, verbs, and adjectives recognition lessons but the practice was around circling, and underlining a given component out of a page in a workbook or filling in the blanks from a word in a word box, to an already constructed sentence. I don’t remember being taught about where, when, or how to use them. Or practicing writing my own sentences using the tools I practiced. It wasn’t until later years when we started doing prompt writing or free writing that I was able to make sense  of my writing using those tools. However, as an adult writer I do tend to still look past some tools in my writing when constructing works, until I go back and read it, and can edit it. I do believe that if it weren’t for me being a strong reader, my writing may not have been as great as it became. I don’t think I would have been as successful with the “fill in the blank” or “circle the verb and underline the noun” worksheets, alone.

As an educator I will stress the process of writing, along with the codes and rules for grammar punctuation and how to properly structure a sentence. After reading the article I understand that for students to have a  beautifully written sentence, students need the right tools to make their writing work. As a teacher of writing, I know it is beneficial to have worksheets made for students to practice concrete sentence structuring around subjects, predicates, conjunctions, verbs, nouns, and adjectives. However,  I will be sure to make more opportunities for students to practice using these same tools to write their own sentences on content that motivates them to use those tools. As a teacher of writing another thing I want to work on goes along with the part of the article when Sokolowski talked about looking past “There’s no capital, there’s no period” to say, “By God, you wrote a gorgeous sentence.” It made me reflect and want to shift the way I give feedback. Saying you have an amazing sentence, let take a closer look at it, sounds alot more effective than listing all the things the sentence is missing.

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As a writer this artifact makes me realize I am not alone in my thoughts and imperfections in the craft of writing. The concept, mentioned in the article, of not having enough time, as a justification to not write or practice writing for it to improve, served as a personal news flash for me. One of the things I say often as a student learning how to teach is “teaching me how to swim by using power points, modules, videos, and articles will be doing me a huge disservice, when throwing me into the water and telling me to show what I got.” Despite my saying this so often, I seldom apply this same mentality to my own personal writing.  When I step back and think about myself as a writer, I am taken aback that I don’t write as much as I think I do. When I do write it is free writing, and while I may see it as poetry some days, sometimes I go back, re-read, and realize I just went on a long metaphorical rant. Outside of this kind of writing I don’t write anything else. I don’t write essays, stories, or research papers for leisure. I have never once decided in a moment, “I think I’m going to write an informational essay, today.” This, to me, reflects my writing experiences as a student. When I had writing assignments in school, I followed a rubric for the highest points I could score.  I stuck to the rules, and essentials of what needed to be present in my essay and called it a wrap. Furthermore, the feedback I received on my writing assignments was on spelling and miniscule errors. As an adult who only writes when inspired by something in passing, my writing is loose. It doesn’t follow any rules or rubrics. I may spell every word correctly, but because I don’t practice any other forms of writing, I now find it difficult to teach others how to write.

When thinking about teaching writing, this article allowed me to accept responsibilities for any lack of skills my students past and present may have in writing. I currently teach first grade and in writing we are practicing writing individual upper- and lower-case letters, spacing of letters in words, and rules of capitalization. Seeing that there is currently a literacy gap, for these first graders who spent the whole of their kindergarten experience on zoom, I spend most of my writing lessons teaching penmanship, neatness, and little chants to remember how to write letters. I don’t spend half or even enough time on constructing full on sentences. This artifact makes me think about how, as a teacher of writing, I must make time to teach other tools for writing. As much as I despise using "fill in the blank" and "circle the word that..." worksheets to practice these tools, I must look outside of myself and my preferences, to introduce my students to things that will benefit them as growing writers.

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This artifact made me revisit the statement I made on artifact four, about not writing as much as I thought. After visiting Aadahl’s notion of being our own content creators, publishers, editors, and marketers, I realized I do write often. Every Facebook status, Instagram rant, snapchat story telling moment, and social media sharing of posts or quotes that relate to me is a form of writing. Being able to revisit my content, edit it, and reshape it before hitting the post or share button makes me not only a writer, but as Aadahl points out, an editor, and a publisher as well.  Shedding light on this idea makes me, as a writer, think about being more mindful about the purpose of what I share and think about who I want it to reach. Using these platforms for more than just entertainment allows younger relatives to see what I do, and what tools I use, so that they can learn from it. I stated in another artifact reflection that I seldom write argumentative pieces. However, when I think back to all the times I got into political, cultural, or artistic debates in comment sections public to anyone willing to read social media comment threads, I take that statement back. As a writer I need to let go of the idea, that writing is pencil and paper.  I really want to work toward, as Aadahl put it, being “more attentive to the craft and take responsibility for what I put out there.”

As a teacher of writing, I thought a lot about the idea that we should be preparing students for what tools they could be using and creating in five to ten years from now. As a teacher of writing, I think about the standards for writing, in the curriculums presented by the schools I have worked for. My first thought is always “what do they need to know at this point in the year?” My initial focus is getting them where they need to be, for them to be successful in the next grade level. Aadahl brings up the question “How do we help students form context, purpose, and potential in the tools they need to be successful writers and get them ready to learn about that?” I know as a teacher I frequently have “teachable moments” during lessons in other subjects. For example, in reading class, one of my first graders stated, “we don’t need to know how to read to be successful.” To which I quickly responded, “reading is the foundation for just about every other subject, job/career, and just about every other life aspect.” His thought was that if he grows up and starts his own business he won’t need to know how to read. It will be ten years before this kid can begin building a business. Bringing me back to this artifact’s theory of working toward what tools students will use in five to ten years from now. In response to his statement, I spoke to my student about advertising his business, using platforms to spread awareness, attract customers, label his merchandise, doing research on other neighboring or similar businesses and how they became successful, and how all those things require him to know how to read. After listening to Aadahl’s theories on technology as a new tool for writing, I am understanding that I can apply these same “teachable moments” to the importance of writing as well. Raising awareness and encouraging my students to use their resources for building a platform for something they are passionate about, works just as well for writing, as it does for any other subject.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?
This artifact made me think about being a writer by reading standards for different genres of writing. I was able to read the standards within this artifact. When reading the standards from left to right I noticed that in grades 6-8 they begin learning how to write arguments that then turn into narrative writing pieces with specific expectations. Grades 9-12 are writing more informative/explanatory writing pieces. When it comes to being a writer I would connect more with the 6-8th grade standards because narratives and argumentative wiring interests me. I feel like I would be able to teach these genres because there is interest behind it.

What does this artifact make me think about teaching writing?
This artifact makes me anxious. There is a lot of information and details that are required to be taught based on grade level. It is my goal to teach first grade one day and our standards are way less complex than the 6-12 standards but it is important for educators to understand all standards in order to become aware of what was touched on the grade before yours or what might come after that you could incorporate a little at a time.

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Writer- As a writer, this article made me think of how I was taught to write. We had to fit into this cookie cutter format regardless of culture, or skill. Thankfully, I was decent enough in writing to do well. However, nothing I ever did was “inspiring”, it was just something we had to do. I think if my teachers would have taken a more wholistic and culture approach to writing my skills as a writer could have surpassed anything I thought they could be.

Teaching Writing-  When reading this article, I kept asking where are the resources and the time to do this? It comes down to a daunting task for teachers to not only teach students a curriculum but in turn make it culturally responsive to all students in the classroom. I think when the author refers to “expressing ourselves creatively” applies to all students. It is about providing students with choice with how they show what they know. It could be a podcast, or a google presentation. Providing students with choice empowers them to take interest in their learning.

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Writer- As a writer, I do not remember ever being made aware of standards or skills I needed to master. These standards are set up nice, looks nice and organized. However, once you closely look at them you can easily get lost. As a 6, 7, or 8th grader I would not truly understand what I am looking at. I think making an even more detailed would be most beneficial.

Teaching Writing-Looking at these standards made me think of the Professional development: Creating Powerful Assessments that I am in. Our instructor wrote a book on this topic, which is awesome. We watched a video on how this team of teachers as created this awesome system. Within it, kids know exactly what standard they are working on and how they are being assessed on them. Through this process students can depict their areas of strength and areas of growth. They can track their work and see what skills they need to master to meet a goal. Right now, in the PD we are looking at standards and to really break them up down to individual skills students build upon. To also make standards “kid friendly” in order to promote students to know exactly where there are and where they are going in their learning. Some standards really need to be broken down, there are multiple skills being assesses in more than one standard. Yes, these standards are a great starting point as an educator, but there is a lot of work that needs to go on behind the scenes in order to make this applicable in the classroom.

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Writer- This article gave me the chance to reflect on my own writing skills and what makes me successful as a writer.  I am by no means an expert writer. I can form sentences and communicate my intentions on paper. Occasionally my peers will say “that was very well written” to some of the different things I have written, generally an important email or a speech. I have found for myself, writing comes easiest to me when I am interested or passionate about the topic I am writing about. I think writing on a computer verse writing with paper and pen makes a huge difference for me. I know we are in a day where computers are a great resource for word processing, prediction. However, there is just something about a pencil and paper that helps the ideas flow.

Teaching Writing- I could not agree more with this article when it comes to teaching writing. It is something I am working on gaining confidence. There is a lot to writing, especially when teaching students with disabilities. There is the physical skill of writing and forming letters. Next, knowing how to form sentences. I think for some students they view writing as an obstacle, which can make it even more challenging for students to fall in love with writing. I do love when one teacher said, “I had to teach myself to look beyond ‘There’s no capital, there’s no period’ to say, ‘By God, you wrote a gorgeous sentence.’ ” I think sometimes we get so caught up in the tiny details we miss what students are actually saying.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?
This artifact made me reflect on how I was taught to write growing up. Looking back, my relationship with writing wasn't brought to life until high school. In my childhood years, I remember writing as packet work, or small essays that didn't allow for much creativity at all. We were told what to write, and where to write it, and in what colors. Although I wasn't super bothered by this as I like structured tasks, I'm sure this was difficult for some students who needed a little bit of creativity in their life, and need time in school to be allowed to do so if their life at home doesn't.
Later in high school, I was in a Short Stories class, which was the very first time I wasn't required to write historical essays, and could just write about anything I wanted, real or made up. I think this was when I was able to establish a relationship with writing, but it's unfortunate how long it took.
I hope that as research grows and as teachers get more educated on differentiation in their classrooms, that students are able to have a good relationship with writing, and that all feel included and capable.

Teaching Writing:
This artifact made me notice the issues of power within the classroom, and how it directly connects with teaching writing. The most important thing to me as an educator is to establish a positive and healthy relationship with students before we learn together. Not only does this allow students to feel more connected with their teacher, but also their education. They are able to learn from a young age that this is their education, and teachers are there to simply guide them as needed. This connects to writing because writing could be one of the ways teachers connect with students, especially if they make it personal and differentiated to the student's needs.

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Writer- As a writer, I really connected with this article on so many levels. I feel that the standardize way of writing cuts the creativity and enjoyment of writing right out of the equation. This article made me realize how personal and unique writing is and should be. It made me feel better that there are more educators out there who struggling with teaching writing effectively to their students. That it is not easy to teach something that is indeed personal and with no one set way

Teaching Writing- I could not have agreed more with the paragraph “who is the better writer”. I think that is what makes writing so difficult to teach. There is so many different avenues to take and there is not a cookie cutter format to follow. That is kind of the point to writing though. Putting your own personal touch, thoughts and feelings out on paper to communicate to others, how do you teach someone about their own thoughts? “There is no clear point of mastery in writing”. That can be just as challenging for the teacher as it is for the students. Even as an adult, a teacher, someone who has two bachelor degrees, I still could not even tell you if I am a master in writing. This article put teaching writing perfectly. There simply is no single correct way to write, really anything.

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Writer- As a writer this video made me realize that as a community and culture, we need to take more responsibility to what we put out there. That any post we make, regardless of where it is, is a contribution. This video inspired me to have the mindset, how are you contributing? Are your words strong, powerful, and meaningful when you put them together. What is your purpose, your audience, and your credibility? Writing can be a powerful tool that is ever changing and growing.

Teaching Writing- When Elyse Eidman-Aadahl said, just because the tools of writing have become easier to use, does not mean writing itself is any easier. I really liked this viewpoint. Lots of times in Special Education people focus on all these different tools that should make writing easier for students. When in reality it is not a quick fix. I like the idea of looking at writing as communicating with purpose, knowing your audience and having credibility. With understanding, that this is not an easy task. I also liked the mindset that we should be preparing students for five years from now.  It is more beneficial to capitalize on student strengths and what they bring into the classroom and grow those skills. Teach for the future not in the moment. The best way to teach students writing might be more about teaching flexibility, purpose, adaptability to new forms of writing, what you’re saying and how it fits. Allowing students to realize and see writing is about building knowledge together.

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What does this make you think about being a writer?

In my own writing experiences, I really resonated with the key point #4 that states that if an individual is not aware or a participant of the culture, stating the rules of the culture, makes it easier to be a participant. This is evident in my own experience in grammar. As a younger student, grammar rules never stuck with me and therefore I dreaded the editing process and essentially writing in totality. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to take an accelerate grammar course which basically did as key #4 stated "laying out the rules". This helped me so much in my own learning, and really helped the "rules of grammar" click.

As a teacher of writing, I think what is really important is that we be completely and fully aware of the culture of power in writing. Not everyone knows the same "codes" in writing and its important that we take that into consideration when teaching lessons. It is our responsibility to show them, model, and guide them to success.

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Natalie Perkins:
What does this make me think about as a writer?

I began this course filled with anxiety because "I am not a writer."  Elyse Ediman-Aadhals explains how writing is communicating.  That is what we are doing as writers we share.  When I heard that, I thought of how many times I am writing to communicate with others.  I communicate through texting, e-mails, notes home to parents, messages on a whiteboard, the list can go on of why I would be writing during the day.  I need to consider myself a writer since I share my everyday "writing" with others.

What does this make me think about as a teacher of writing?

Elyse Ediman-Aadhals short video is significant because she explains the importance of incorporating technology into our classrooms.  Allowing students to use technology is preparing them for their future.  As an educator, I feel that there are two sides to whether or not we should use technology.  I see many teachers who think there needs to be less technology because kids should not stare at screens all day.  These same teachers also complain that it is difficult to manage what students do online during class.  Then I see another side of teachers who want to use technology because students are more engaged.  I love using technology in the classroom when students use it properly.  Aadhals explained the importance of students using new platforms.  However, teachers need to use new media to implement technology in our classrooms properly.  As a science teacher, I used a curriculum called Amplify, which was entirely online.  I could not just use Amplify to be successful with my students.  I had to use JamBoard to send out agendas and instructions to students.  I learned how to use Go Guardian to monitor all students' screens at once to ensure they were on task.  I learned how to use three resources to be successful in teaching science.  If teachers had more technology training, they would be more open to using it in the classroom.

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1. When reading this artifact, it made me think about my own educational experience. It is clear and evident that in my own collegiate career, I, myself did not have much assistance or training in teaching writing. I went to Roberts and studied early childhood education, and most of my EDU courses were primarily focused on ELA, Math, and science. I rarely can remember times that we talked in depth about teaching writing or social studies within the four years. I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to take this class to better myself as a writer as well as my students, and be able to take away so many important aspects of this class for my current and future students.

2. As a teacher of writer, one thing that I noted was that it seemed that there was a spectrum of writing instruction. There is a variety of strategies and ways to teach writing instruction and many of the ways might work for some students, and might not work for others. What was clear in the article was that although there is a spectrum of writing instruction, wavering towards one side of the spectrum could hinder students development.

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1. This artifact helped me to realize that fortunately I am not alone in the fact that I do not frequently write in my free time. After reading this article, writing is something that I should do more of and I can see the implications of this would have on myself and my students in my classroom. I know that if I would work on my writing and the writing process in my own time, I myself, might become a more confident teacher in the area of writing.

2. I really liked the quote " you are either growing or losing ground; there is no standing still". I feel like students should be aware of this. I know that in my classroom, I tell my students everyday that I am not perfect and that I am still learning new things (just like them). I loved this quote because it is so important for students, even adults sometimes, to step back and realize that with writing, there is always room for growth and no one can "master" or be completely "perfect" with their writing.

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1.  Elyse Eidman-Aadahl's video illustrated that the digital world brings many more complicated layers to the world of writing, most of which come very natural to most of us, can be very challenging to others. Through reading other articles, I truly thought that I did not partake in much "writing" than my peers, but after seeing this video, I would reconsider my statement made in another post. Although I do not do much formal writing, I am creating and crafting messages and writing frequently on social media sites.

2. Digital writing requires a high velocity of sophistication. As a digital writer, you need to have the ability to craft, collaborate, create purpose, be aware of audience, and have knowledge of the topic that you are writing about. Although most students have much practice in this writing environment, it is important for teachers to be aware that this is no easy task for students, and while students are using digital tools/digital writing spaces, students need to be aware of the task of writing in this space.

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1&2.
After taking some time to read through and analyze the common core state standards listed, I started to make connections to the "why kids can't write" article listed in artifact three. In that article, it mentions the ever growing problem of students who are not "ready" for collegiate level writing courses. Although this problem has been consistent for several years, the common core standards for these grades have not been changed. It seems that after examining the grades presented to us, the standards seem fairly similar and not much differentiation is added through each grade, which is somewhat concerning. The article in artifact 3 also mentioned that we should be focusing on basic writing skills to help students be successful at the collegiate level , which is also important to remember when looking at the standards. Although students are becoming more sophisticated with their writing, style, and format of writing, we should not forget about basic writing skills as well.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?
This artifact made me think about my history as a writer. I thought about the different ways I was taught to write from elementary school through college. I remember there was always some sort of graphic organizer or templet that was provided for our use. These usually included a space for a topic sentence, 3 details or paragraphs, and a conclusion. Thinking back I believe this format helped me organize my writing, but took some time and effort to make sure things were where they were suppose to be. When I entered high school the 3 paragraphs turned into 5 which tended to include evidence from sources based on the genre of the assignment. That word assignment. Scary. What happened to my journal where I would write about my weekend, or something new that happened in my life. Where was the page to visually show what my writing meant. It was gone. My writing turned into following a rubric. Making sure I included everything that was asked of, in the way it was asked. When I got to college, the format for writing was very similar to high school, but there was much more that went into it. Using credible sources, evidence, correct citations, and much more. This was hard for me because I would read what someone had wrote in the way they wrote it and think to myself, well now how am I suppose to put someone else's words into my own. I struggled. I wanted my hamburger graphic organizer back. I wanted the simple, personal wiring prompts, but I came to terms that this is where I was in life as a writer.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?
I think about the grad students that Delpit's article talks about. The student mention felt as though their first teacher was not teaching. The teacher would have them write, edit each others work, and expected to learn from this process. I connected with this student because I took a course in college like this. The student then found another professor who taught the structure of writing. This is an example of two different professors and their writing philosophies. When I think about how I want to teach writing, I think about every student as an individual. Not all students are going to learn the same way. The resources provided are not going to be beneficial for all students and it is my goal to incorporate different strategies and techniques to make sure all students feel comfortable and confident in their writing while having a choice in how to do so.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

After reading this article I thought about myself as a writer. I thought about my pervious educators and the many different ways I was taught or expected to write. Writing does not come easy to me and certain strategies worked better than others. Some I still use today. I connected with this article because it provided examples of different grade level strategies and teaching styles. The article also mentions the Common Core standards in which have shown little change in basic writing needs. Even at 23 years old I still need a refresher on the basic writing skills, which I feel was left and locked behind me after 5th grade.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?
As a teacher of writing this artifact made me think about how important it is to continue teaching basic writing skills no matter the age of the writer. It is important to teach these skills in an appropriate way for all students. Also I believe that it is important to praise and provide confidence for students and their writing. I want to be able to teach writing confidently and have my students feel confident and proud of the work that they have completed.

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About being a writer:
This artifact made me think about how I feel when given a writing assignment. I appreciate some of the approaches to writing that are "comforting because they provide certainty, set clean clear objectives, provide measurable outcomes and create comparable data sets" (Green, 2020). As a student/writer I appreciate these  things but I can see how this may have stifled my ability to be open to other ways of doing things when it comes to writing. It makes me think that I have become, as Green stated, "complicit" in these ways and I need to take a step back from the cookie cutter way of doing things.

About teaching writing:
Following that thought, this affects the way I view myself teaching writing as well. I realize that not all students appreciate a strict outline, or directions on how to create certain pieces of writing. It makes me realize that there is a limitless amount of possibilities when it comes to teaching and analyzing writing in the classroom which can be implemented to help students be successful, confident writers.

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As a writer this artifact made me think about what I contribute to society in this digital age. What are my posts using these content creating tools really doing? What is the goal of the things that I share? I think it is very interesting how Aadahl puts it-- that we can learn from anyone about anything on the internet even though we may never meet these people. This makes me realize how lucky we are that we have a wealth of platforms and ways in which we can create content and share. I want to make better use of these digital platforms and tools. I like how Aadahl said "to write well really means to really think about purpose and audience" and how even though the tools we're using make things easier, it doesn't mean writing is actually getting easier.

As a teacher of writing, I think it is important to work on this craft of using these new kinds of writing/platforms because it is so prevalent in our students' lives. We need to prepare our students for "being able to use what will be there in five or ten years from now" (Aadahl). I think this overall view of teaching our students about digital writing and content--different from the normative pen and paper-- is important because although they may be using it daily our students much like myself, may not realize that this type of writing exists and the lasting messages it is capable of creating. I love how Aadahl points out that we are teaching in a world transformed by the internet and we should be teaching with a futuristic mind set to really support and help our students.

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This artifact made me think about the assumptions that were made while I was learning how to write my college thesis. I recall my class being so confused when thinking of how to organize our writing, and what we should really be focusing on in our writing. Thankfully, we had a fantastic professor that was approachable, and was able to go more in depth after we expressed our concerns.

In regards to teaching writing, this artifact really made me think of how important explicit instruction is. Without that explicit instruction and focus on one concept at a time, students who have never been exposed to the concepts before will come off as "needing extra help" in comparison to students who have already been introduced to these topics.

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This artifact would confuse me as a writer. I feel as if the standards sometimes assume that a student is aware of the terminology and information within a concept. For example, "maintaining appropriate tone" is part of a standard, and I automatically think of myself as a writer. In seventh grade, would I have known what this meant, and been able to fully understand that concept?

As an educator, this article made me think about the fact that most standard remain the same throughout grade levels. As the grade-level increases, there is sometimes more specific language added. Overall, the standards seem to continue to look for the same outcome. How would I be teaching differently in these grades if the standards remain the same?

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This artifact provided me with an opportunity to reflect on my life as a writer. I have always enjoyed writing about almost any topic. Having an opportunity to write my opinion or thoughts about a topic always allowed me to write with passion. That being said, I feel like I did not have a full grasp on writing mechanics until college which is exactly what the article says happens with most students. We enter college as adults who are really still unfamiliar with proper writing mechanics. Prior to college, I had great teachers who I thought were so helpful and knowledgeable. Although, I really do not remember them explicitly modeling and teaching writing mechanics. We wrote about books and descriptive essays, but the mechanics were almost assumed to be there.

This artifact really allowed me to think of my future as an educator. Especially when the article stated, "'It all starts with a sentence.'" Teaching writing is extremely challenging, but is so rewarding. I am looking to provide students with the correct writing mechanics and making sure they are reinforced throughout their writing careers. Although we seem to be doing this with the Common Core and are not receiving the results that we thought we would, I feel as if reinforcement of specific writing concepts and mechanics can help any student grow. I believe educators just need proper training and knowledge on how to do this correctly and efficiently.

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The paragraph discussing the traditional writing process that is taught is school gave me flashbacks to when I was taught that exact process. What is fascinating to me is that although I loved writing, the traditional writing process of making an outline and turning a sentence into a paragraph was something that I found to be boring and not helpful to me. As a writer, I agree with the article stating that writing, even in a professional aspect, is still a form of self-expression. This is a time where writers can prepare for their writing and complete a writing piece in whichever way best suits them. I am glad I found what works best for me because the traditional writing process was something that I was not fond of.

As an educator, this artifact makes me think of allowing my students to take charge of their writing in my classroom. This is a time for them to figure out what kind of writer they are, and what style of writing best suits them. In my opinion, this article really gives insight on how important it is to provide structure for students without taking charge of their writing for them.

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This artifact made me think about myself as a writer prior to digital writing. Specifically, when Elyse Eidman-Aadahl discusses how many jobs there were for one piece of writing. For example, when a piece of writing was complete, the next step was for it to go to the editor. Then, the writing would go to multiple other people in this chain to create a perfect writing piece. I remember as a high school student completing essays and having to go straight to a friend to have them read it. Now, with digital writing, it is so much easier to get these jobs done.

This artifact made me think of the collaboration that can take place in digital writing when teaching. I think of small groups of students collaborating to form an opinion writing piece on a specific topic, and how they can really come together all while being inside or outside of the classroom. This digital piece can allow for students to work efficiently and as a team to create something that would take much longer and would be more tedious if it were not through digital writing.

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What did this make me think about being a writer?
This artifact made me think about being a kid in 6th grade and trying to understand what the teacher just asked me to do. I can recall so many instances during that school year where we would be given a direction without any elaboration or demonstration of expectations and the teacher was so nasty and rude if you dared asked for clarification. I went to a school that was in a very poor community. Houses on each side of the building boarded up and burnt. Crime literally happening right outside our windows sometimes and this teacher was "not" teaching us. I am not a person of color, but I sort of related to the story of the young man that is, and his frustrations from that teacher appearing to not be teaching. I often felt exhausted and frustrated by that teacher. Many of the teachers I had prior and the 7th and 8th grade teachers after I recall were wonderful. This particular teacher definitely used her power and made it known to a group of 11 year old kids that she was not to be questioned, even when the questions are simply innocent misunderstandings of directions and they just wanted to do a good job.

What did this artifact make me think about teaching writing?
Well this artifact reinforced my thinking about my teaching in general. I make it a habit to not only allow as many questions for clarification as needed, but I also make sure to model or demonstrate my expectations as well. I currently teach in a community where its majority of lower class families. They are on welfare and many are doing the best they can with juggling kids, family and multiple jobs. I try to make sure that I remember that everyone has a different culture and they understand certain directions differently. So when I am teaching, I try to make sure I use higher level vocabulary, but also put that vocabulary in terms they understand. I have been explicit in my expectations with my students and their work effort and ethics and tell them often how and why something they are learning will help them in the "real" world. I want them to see that all they are asked to learn, can and will relate to them later. I also stress that perfection is not the intended outcome, but learning perseverance and how to apply themselves to all they do, will make them successful with whatever career path they choose.

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What did this artifact make me think about being a writer?
This artifact is the NYS standards for writing. It made me think about how my own writing skills until recent years were dreadful and lacking. How also anyone without an advanced degree can't understand what it's asking them to do, and it's open to too much interpretation. What one writer might think its asking them to do, another may read and determine its asking something else. This is because we come from many different places and have many different cultures and the meanings of things make us go to different "places" in our minds. Being a writer trying to use these standards to appease expectations is often confusing and exhausting to those doing the task.

What does it make me think of about being a teacher of writing?
I am currently a 4th grade teacher, but I teach math and science to two groups of students and some reading skills to my homeroom. I do not teach writing and therefore I have not dug deep into the standards. If I was though, I would think that I would run into the issue of knowing how much direction to give my students without over stepping and not give too much direction. I feel writing is a very personal thing, and the writer should have some freedoms to put onto "paper" what's flowing in the naturally, and the standards sort of strip away some of that. Yes there need to be expectations, with a clear direction, but some people can't write in certain formats and they can easily write in other formats. There is a small amount of change from one year to the next in most cases, but that is also a problem. This would make the already frustrated writer, stay in that place of frustration and never offers them an opportunity to see that they too can be a successful writer, just on a different format. The standards offer not alternatives or differentiation. It seems there's little consideration for those who don't fit into the cookie cutter or mold that is being used to create these standards.

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What did this artifact make me think about in regards to being a writer?
This made me think about how when I am told what to write about I cannot drum up a word, often times frozen and when I do figure out how to begin, It's lacking life and substance. I loved when the article spoke about simply letting students just free write and then going back and reading it later. I do this myself when I have a writing assignment to complete. I have to give myself atleast 3-4 days because I do a "brain dump" on a page and then I have to walk away. I cannot revise that day, because I won't have new vocabulary to use, or new ways to state my points. My mind is often stuck on whatever terminology I used that day, but if I come back later or the next day I can make changes and improve upon my original ideas. Reading about the students trying to write their admission letters to college brought back my memory of writing my admission letters for Roberts and the fear I had that it wouldn't be good enough to join the program. This artifact showed that unless someone is explicitly taught strategies and how to implement those strategies, they will always struggle with writing well into their adult years. How can we do better for this current generation?

What did this artifact make me think about in regards to being a teacher of writing?

First and foremast it shows that we have to do better. In order for teachers to do better we have to be taught proven, researched strategies that have some data behind it. I feel like there are all of these different theories out there about writing and reading and they all sound great, but where is the data to show that the long term goal of successful readers and writers are emerging? I was a terrible reader and writer as a young student and even into my young adult years. It wasn't until I entered the work force and began surrounding myself with successful people that I became aware of my lacking vocabulary. I began building my vocabulary so I could communicate intelligently with those I looked up to and wanted to be in their positions. This has helped me tremendously and my awareness of this, is why I have always spoken to my own children in higher terminology and I speak to my students at this level. I tell them right from the start we will use big words, and then break them down into relatable words, so they can connect the two and they can build their vocabulary much younger than I did. I tell them that story about wanting to be the "boss" and therefore I had to learn from the bosses. This is just one small, tiny actually, step in making them better readers and writers though. They can hear the word and relate it to something else, there's still the challenge of them being able to read it on paper and write it themselves. So how do I ensure that they leave me at the end of the year not only able to speak better, but write better? I honestly have no idea. They do alot of writing in science and math, but is this really going to translate into better writing later for them?

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1. This article spoke to me on so many levels. I have always enjoyed writing, but I am sort of a "wild card" kind of person and I love to be able to be myself. I have never fit into a box, or been a round peg, or really any sort of shape that would be identifiable. I've always just did what felt correct and went forward. Trusting my gut instincts in ways most would think I was a little bit crazy. With this all being said, as a writer, I loved this article! To have had this person as my teacher growing up and not wanting me to fit my thoughts into the mold would have been so incredible. I hated those organization charts. They confused me, if im being totally honest. My brain didn't work in that straight line type of way, or something I guess, but I was legitimately confused when it came to filling out the outline and then transferred it onto a page in paragraph form. I loved his admittance that there should not be a set of rules, but a set of expectations. These in my brain are very different, because I could achieve the expectations differently than my childhood best friend. She loved the outlines and she often helped me get it simply filled in, so I didn't get a zero.

2. This article helped me feel less inadequate as a teacher and potentially a teacher of writing in the future. I try to ensure that I am giving all my students what they need. I try to see them each as individuals and meet them where they are at, but when you have a small window of time and an even smaller knowledge of right from wrong, in terms of expected application of the objective, I follow what those who came before me did, until I find what feels right to me. I've found that my students are struggling with the one size fits all approaches too, and I am often on the fly making changes to what we are doing. This is more in the world of math than anything, but I can see how this one size fits all approach would be difficult to adjust on the fly for writing. How do we do better? How do we meet the needs of all the students on our roster, and make sure they are all successfully writing, whatever it might be that they need to write? I have a difficult time getting them to follow the expected layout for an RTQ (response to question) on a math problem, and now I might be asking them to do a free write on a subject they may or may not have an interest in? This is a little unnerving at the moment, not going to lie.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

Although standards are being pushed more and more, I don't believe that our students need to read these. If a student is seeing one of those pages for the first time, they may get quickly overwhelmed, without ever reading it. I think that standards may help teachers structure their curriculum and stay on target for what they should be teaching, however students shouldn't be made aware of these. I have seen some standards being represented in the form of learning targets, which may help some students connect what the purpose of a lesson or activity is. There are some grades that repeat their standards or have similar wording, and I think this is because these may be more significant goals for students to reach, that may also take more time.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

This made me think about knowing what your students know before moving on to the next thing. Did the student completely understand the task or target in their previous class, or do we need to build a little more background knowledge before moving on.

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What this artifact made me think of as a writer:

Early in this article, I realized that a lot of my patterns of writing are similar to when I was in 5th grade learning to write a book report for the first time. I enjoy writing, however I know that sometimes staying on one topic is a difficult task. This has been a common theme in my writing, and is always something that I had to edit when writing papers in college as well. Although there are many things that can be done throughout school to improve our writing, there are some things that are specific to us, and make us into our own individual writers.

What this artifact made me think of about teaching writing:

The next thing that Goldstein wrote that made me connect with teaching writing is the topic of “massive teacher education”. I completely agree that growing up my writing time in the classroom was finding nouns and verbs and tracing out of a booklet, usually for about 30 minutes out of our day. When it came time to learn how to teach kids how to write, things such as Common Core were being implemented, and we had to learn that ourselves. This article has made me realize that there should be a good balance between helping kids navigate their creativity through writing, as well as teaching them proper grammar and sentence structure.

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This artifact confirmed everything I felt about the educational institution. Writing has always been a challenge for me. It wasn't because I could form sentences but because I knew that my writing was not up to standard. The artifact talked about those unspoken codes that students of color and poor class people face when dealing with education. I was once a member of this class and I have experienced this sense of being "cheated" when learning from a "white" teacher.  In fact, it was very hard for me to find the motivation to graduate from an inner-city school because I often felt like dropping out. This artifact has discussed how poor/students of color can be completely turned off of the educational system.
This artifact highlighted one suggestion that I will be advocating for and applying. The artifact states that teachers of color, black parents, and members of poor communities should be able to participate without restrictions in discussions of what instruction would be best practice for their child. When it comes to teaching writing I will be advocating to have these key stakeholders' opinions and suggestions on what and how I can provide their children with the best writing instruction.

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This artifact made me think that there is a lot of educational time lost for students that have mastered these writing abilities in the ninth grade. Examing these standards made me aware that these standards don't have any differentiation from any of them. How do we challenge students that have mastered these skills?. On the other hand, for students that are approaching these skills gradually, these standards give them about four years to master them.
This artifact made me think about the various ways I can teach these standards. It also gives a lot of wiggle room to get students to master these standards. But it also doesn't give me any guidance to challenge students that have already mastered these skills. It kinda just allows them to practice these mastered skills over time without challenging these skills.

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This artifact made me think that all teaching programs should focus on prospective teachers' own writing skills, how to teach writing and how to display confident writing to our students. Looking back on my own program I attended for undergraduate I don't believe I had taken any preparation course to advance my own writing skills. I thought it was interesting that the artifact stated unconfident writers themselves tend to not do as well as confident writers. I once thought that freewriting would motivate students to want to write formally. After reading this artifact I now think that allowing students to free-write with structured grammar lessons may have better outcomes.

Being a teacher that teaches writing now makes me want to reflect on my own writing journey. I believe that if I become more comfortable displaying and critiquing my own writing my students may be more willing to do the same.

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This artifact made me think that i should try and reflect on my writing pieces more often. Instead of focusing on my writing examples being cookie cutter examples but be able to reflect on my writing while asking myself those important questions that this artifact discussed. Is my writing clear, is my subject clear, and does this writing set out to do what was expected. I also agree that as teachers we have became more of checklist teachers when assessing students writing. Which doesn't really cater to students that have their own way of communicating on paper.
As teacher that teaches writing i need to be aware of my cookie cutter bias and remind myself of these key questions when assessing my students writing pieces. Instead of using the basic writing rubrics to assess their work, i'm gonna individualize each students rubric to match their different writing styles and needs.

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What did this artifact make me think in regards to teaching writing?

This artifact made me more aware of my resistance to using technology in the classroom. I'm big on minimal device usage for learning and teaching. I truly never really considered devices as a good tool to use. I feel like the kids are so disconnected from this way of learning, they just tune out, and robotically get the task done and don't gain knowledge. I can see now where some technology can be helpful. Where it can make tasks easier and more complete. I still don't think I would be apt to using it often. Not at the grade level I teach. If I ever moved into a higher grade, 5 or above maybe I'd implement it more, but at 4th and below, to me students still cannot connect the computer with learning, because majority of their lives it has been used for fun. There is currently only one task they complete online, and that is their spelling program. This is because they all have different lists based on their levels and there would be no way to conduct 16 different spelling tests manually and still get anything accomplished.

What did it make me think in regards to being a writer myself?

It made me aware that I can actually write more often and accomplish goals that I have for myself in regards to learning to write and blog. There's a wealth of knowledge out there just waiting for me to find it and use it. The issue is of course, time that allows these things to take place. Currently the truth is, I would not have a single second to spare to becoming a writer. This makes me question how can I ask students to work harder at making their writing better if I cannot think of or create a time and space to become a better writer myself?

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This artifact made me think beyond the common writing process. I never really thought I was a writer, nor did I think I was a content publisher and/or video anchor. The way Elyse Eidman-Aadahl's wonderful examples of these different forms of writing and the responsibility that comes with it really made me aware of my writing journey. I also reflected on the statement she made about just because digital writing is at our fingertips and is easily be able to publish it does not mean that writing itself has become easier. Like all different forms of writing, writing comes with different standards and responsibilities.
As a teacher that teaches writing I will encourage my students to digital write with these various responsibilities. I'm a strong believer that students learn from real-world situations and using websites like social media posts and Wikipedia exemplars will motivate my students to edit and write more meaningful pieces.

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When thinking about being a writer in comparison to this article it makes me think about the freedom of speech. There are many things people would like to say and this writer has said it for many people. When I teach writing I think about myself. I love to free write and this article makes me think about when I teach my students I want them to write about what they would like to write about. Many people find joy out of free choice with writing. This article is passionate and has significate meaning behind it.

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This article made me think how I have struggled as a writer. It is unfortunate to hear how teachers are not given the adequate training to teach their students the fundamental skills within writing. For myself, it has been a struggle to write since I was in first grade. I have gained many key strategies from wonderful teachers along the way. However, some teachers in college have not been so generous.

When thinking of teaching writing after reading this article it is a lot to take in. There are many key strategies that I will have to learn to guide my students to be successful writers. Another thing to consider is how to become a better teacher in writing. This article has made it clear that it is not just as easy as saying to the students, this is how you write a sentence. Students learn in various ways through diverse techniques.

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When thinking about this article in comparison to myself as a writer, I loved when it said, "that's it I have mastered writing, but clearly that is not the case." I have to always reread my writing and I never feel it is good enough. On the other hand, I did not think about how we have to keep writing as we teach it. However, this makes a lot of sense. I would not want someone to teach me something they do not do on a regular bases.

When teaching writing and thinking about this article it is true that I have write just as much, or more then my students do. When I practice writing each week I become a better writer and a better teacher for my students.

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After hearing Elyse Eidman speak and comparing my writing to her words I would have to say that it has become a lot easier today to edit my writing. With the use of the online resources it is helpful to edit my writing before submitting my work.

When thinking about teaching writing in the digital age like Elyse Eidman said, you have to think about the future. Paper and pencil is where students should first originate their first draft. However, their digital resources can be used for research, sending their work to others to help them find errors quicker, spelling, and other key components. The digital age has came a long way since I was younger, and for my students it can guide them in various techniques.

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When thinking about being a writer in comparison to the standards, it takes me back to when I was in middle and high school. Teachers did their best in teaching my classmates and myself in various ways in meeting the standards in various models. I never understood them until now. There was always a reason behind why teachers assigned lessons in the way they did.

When thinking about teaching in writing into comparison with this article it makes me think about how this fits with my students and the standards. I would make sure I meet the standards and accommodated my students needs with the lessons so they receive everything they need.

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What this artifact made me think about being a writer:
This article actually gave me a little piece of mind that writing in way that is personal and creative is how writing should be, and how we all grow as writers. I always struggled with answering essay prompts that have a clear cut answer, mostly because I wanted my writing to be more of a narrative.

What this artifact made me think about teaching writing:

I really connected with this article when Greene wrote: "Nothing in this approach gets us to actual writing- just a performance that looks kind of like writing", because it's true. On one hand I understand the argument that students should learn how to correctly answer a question with correct grammar, punctuation, transition words, etc., but I agree with the author in that this isn't really growing their strength as writers. And that should be the main goal as educators of writing.

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What does this make you think about as a writer?

As a writer, this artifact made me think about how important technology is to the expansion of communication. It is pretty fascinating how much has changed, even from when I was in elementary school. I appreciate the vast forms of digital tools we have for writing. I am able to see myself as a writer in a different way than ever before.

What does this make you think about as a teacher of writing?

I think we are so lucky to be teachers of writing in this digital era. We can give our students voices across multiple platforms. The “low barriers of entry” make it easy to use for all ages. With this, comes teaching students the responsibility of digital writing. It is partly our job to help teach them about how they use the tools available to them.

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What does this make you think about as a writer?

I have always been someone who find a lot of obstacles when I am writing. I do not feel like I am a master of writing. I never thought about there not being a “right” way to write. In school we always followed templates or had steps to edit or revise our writing. We got graded on our use of these templates or features of writing.

What does this make you think about as a teacher of writing?

I think I connected to the part of the article that said it can be self-inflicted because teachers are not writing themselves. This article also made me think about how writing is not “one size fits all”. I can see how valuable this message can be to students and can help with their creativity and expression.

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What does this make you think about as a writer?

As a writer during my undergraduate experience, there was a lot of focus on the grammatical aspects of writing as well as the research and citation. We did not participate in brainstorming or free-write activities. It felt like we were following a checklist to pass the class instead of learning to love writing and become better writers.

What does this make you think about as a teacher of writing?

Being an elementary school teacher, I think there is a balance of how and what to teach in writing. My students have not had a lot of exposure to the mechanic of grammar and sentences, so we spend a lot of time working on that. I think it is also important to expose them to the fun of writing and foster a love of writing at this young age. I agree that a majority of teachers do not have proper training in writing. It is hard, especially in elementary, to be an “expert” in all of our areas. In just one day I teacher math, ELA, writing, and science and social studies. This is in addition to SEL lessons that are more important than ever.

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What does this make you think about as a writer?
And
What does this make you think about as a teacher of writing?

I found this artifact extremely insightful. I appreciate the recognition of the significant role culture and home life plays in the background our students comes to school with. I do agree that the educational system we have created is built for upper and middle class students to succeed. I found the first aspect that Delpit talks about to be surprising. When you really dive into the idea of power, it is quite scary how related it is to schooling.

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What does this make you think about as a writer?

As a writer, this artifact makes me think about all of the pieces and skill we learned throughout my schooling. The information was all pulled from these standards (or similar ones). It is cool to see be able to decode the meaning of them now, as an educator.

What does this make you think about as a teacher of writing?

As an elementary teacher, these standards are much more complex than the ones I look at when planning my lessons, but there are similarities in the fundamentals and genres. Our curriculum is meant to build upon the skills we learn throughout our schooling career.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

While reading this artifact, I was having many thoughts that took me back to my childhood of how I learned to write. Growing up, writing was always a structured time in the classroom. We were frequently given graphic organizers that shaped us to be determined to get information written down on the paper as fast as possible. Turning  in the work and being done with it while putting in the minimal amount of effort was a consistent  routine for me.  While reading this article I found  myself relating towards the man of  color feeling as if their teacher isn't teaching. I did my graphic organizer, turned it in and then never saw it again. As a  young writer I felt as though I was just going through the motions of doing mindless  work for a grade. In regards to this artifact as a writer I felt that my feelings I have had towards writing in  my early ages were valid. Falling in love with writing is so difficult at a young age when one feels like they are just writing to please teachers and to get a grade.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

While reflecting on this artifact, it made me eager to teach writing in the future. Since I did not find a love for writing until more recently in  life, I want to inspire my students to fall in love with the process of writing at a young age. Teaching them the culture of power in writing and showing them how it is possible to fall in love with the process is something I hope to help my students with.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

As a writer, being in the shoes of a student, I don't think I would have ever achieved all of the standards stated for each grade level individually. As a student who never loved writing, if  I ever knew that there  were so many expectations expected of me to achieve within  the writing standards, my willingness to  work  harder would have decreased even more. I am thankful that my teachers never pushed these standards into my head, I would have constantly felt like not enough as a writer.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

This article brought many different emotions into play for me. The feeling of excitement and anxiousness pull me in different directions after studying this artifact. Excitement comes from overall, feeling confident in my abilities to achieve these writing standards in the classroom. Anxiety comes from there being an overload of standards, it can become overwhelming to prove that all students are achieving the same standards consistently when there are so many of them.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

I personally related closet with the statement in the artifact, “students with high confidence in their writing ability perform better”. When looking at my own writing abilities, my writings were always longer, had more personality  and overall more put together when I was writing about something that  I was interested in. After reading this article I realize that is because I had the confidence in myself  to  write about these certain topics, since I enjoyed what I was writing about. As a  writer, I feel as though if I was given the chance to write without graphic organizers, and about topics that interested me more, my love for writing would have grown more at a younger age.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

This article made me realize how important free and creative writing is in the classroom. Not only does this give students the opportunity to express themselves, it gives them a moment to be creative and really dive deep into something that they enjoy. This artifact also made me think about how important it is for me to be a good writer to teach my students every key tool that they need to be successful in and outside of the learning environment of school.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

This article made me realize that I am not the only teacher who has not always enjoyed the writing process. I never have loved the process of writing but more recently, I have begun to understand and learn more about how fun writing can be. For the longest time I have not enjoyed writing mostly due to not feeling as though I have perfected the craft of writing itself. Throughout this article, being able to verify that I am not alone in these feelings makes me more eager to advance my personal craft and  grow a relationship with writing.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

This artifact made me think about my beliefs when it comes to teaching writing myself. When teaching writing it is important to think about how all students can feel differently about the writing process. Giving students the ability to express  themselves through their writing and the structures they prefer to use, or prefer not to use can  affect the amount of  work they put  in.. It made me acknowledge that teaching writing doesn't have to go a certain way every time. It is okay to have students express how they enjoy writing  in their own ways.

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What this artifact made me think of as a writer:

I have never thought of posting on social media, making videos, and other daily things we do with technology, part of writing. I think we have such a limited image of what writing is; writing books, essays, poetry, etc. that we haven't realized that everyday we are writing, even if it's not with a pen and some paper. This video has taught me that there are many forms of writing, and we just need to figure out how to use them correctly without getting lazy.

What this artifact made me think of as a writer:

I thought the part of the video where Eidman-Aadahl mentioned that since the digital world is rapidly changing, teachers should be preparing students for what is going to be relevant in the near future. Although it is difficult to predict what is going to be developed, I think one of the ways teachers could achieve this is by attending yearly technology classes to stay up to date, and to continue to use online resources for students to get comfortable with.

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What did this artifact make you think about being a writer?

I really enjoyed this video. Something that stuck with me was when Elyse Eidman-Aadahl spoke on  the capacity to do more sophisticated writing at even younger levels than before based on the tools and technology that we are given. She explains that to be a good  writer there are many factors that one has to think about. She focused on  purpose around the three minute and thirty second time of the video. This artifact made me feel as though if I had this technology at a younger age to assist in the writing process I would have felt less frustrated when completing my work. I feel as though this article looks at how technology can help students find their purpose with writing at a younger age which can therefore enhance their motivation,creativity and determination to be good writers.

What did this artifact make you think about teaching writing?

This artifact has shown me how much I can use technology when it comes to writing in my future classroom. Now more than ever we are using technology. Elyse said that it is important to think of yourself  as a writer when you're posting to social media, youtube and other platforms as well. Using this to engage students into the writing process  will enhance their abilities to really explore themselves as writers. Today, explaining to  students that they are writers in many different forms of their life rather than just during writing lessons is crucial to help them fall in love with the process as a whole.