Class 2- Reflections on Atwell and Peterson & Thoughts about teaching History

How does Nancie Atwell’s story strike you and consider the subtopics in Peterson’s chapters 1 & 2 as a teacher of writing in your discipline.  

           Atwell's reflection made me feel simultaneously pleased and worried. I am glad that she finally came to a realization about the best ways in which to teach writing and to foster the growth of her students in many writing genres. However, I worry that I will not be able to do the same in my teaching career. I already feel somewhat stuck in my ways regarding what pieces of writing should be created and about what topic they should be. How will I give students in a history class (or any class that I teach) the best opportunities to explore all the genres of writing in a safe environment where they get both peer feedback and teacher feedback? I worry that my own experiences in school of succeeding in certain areas of writing (e.g. essays) and feeling like a failure in others (such as poetry) will bias my lessons and subsequently prevent students from experiencing all genres of writing (and the feelings of success and struggle that arise during the process).

            I disagree with Atwell in terms of worrying about conventions only in the final draft― I believe that in your mini-lessons you should also remind students of proper spelling and grammar. I would not expect perfect writing immediately, but I would hope to see improvement in their rough draft writing as the year progresses. That way, the quality of student work is gradually increasing during each opportunity to write. I think the best way of incorporating writing into any course would be creating a regular routine for students. I can see myself utilizing Peterson's proposal for classroom organization where students begin each day with a small piece of writing that can be tracked in their folder. I believe that students thrive with routines and organization; I can imagine students enjoying the writing process more when they regularly write and can see their progress. Overall, I think students will feel fulfilled with their journey in writing when the process is seamlessly integrated across the curriculum. 

Class 1- What writing means to me...

To me, writing is very personal but it's purpose can vary greatly. Some write as a hobby, some write as an emotional outlet, and some write to make money... however, I would argue that every piece of writing is a form of expression. I write to communicate to my future self the thoughts, ideas, emotions, and goals of my present self. In terms of teaching history, the written word is crucial to the comprehension of past events and our understanding of what actually happened throughout human existence. Some pieces of writing are meaningless to us because we cannot decipher the language in which it was written. On the other hand, some pieces of writing are crucial to furthering our understanding of an ancient society. As a modern historian or student studying history, I think it is most important to develop critical thinking skills that allow one to analyze any resource and be able to create a piece of writing that represents their beliefs about the topic. Utilizing critical thinking skills is a necessary component of creating thought-provoking pieces of writing on historical topics.

Linear A- Writing is only effective at communicating

 your ideas when it is able to be understood