"If I locked my students in my classroom..."

“If I locked my students in my classroom and stood outside the door, what could they learn about writing without me even being there?”

This weeks readings in Katie Wood Ray’s The Writing Workshop help calm my NERVES about how to TEACH, using CURRICULUM and WHOLE CLASS involvement. I feel a little bit more confident about executing this in a classroom. The idea is becoming more real.

“These are places where you can look at things, try things out, read things, touch things…You learn in these places because you are surrounded by things to learn from.” Thing statement is so powerful because I believe as teachers we need to provide students with an environment wherein they can act as FREE AGENTS and in doing so they need the proper materials and resources. When surrounded by things to learn from one’s brain can be constantly stimulated with new ideas and thoughts about their writing.

“Either we can be walking, breathing, talking examples of all we advocate for our students, or we can have them sitting around wondering why we are trying to get them into something that we are obviously not into ourselves.” I CONNECTED with this statement because when I was in Elementary School I asked myself that very question many times, why am I doing/learning this when my teacher doesn’t seem to care about it? When I saw this in my teacher(s) is left me very UNMOTIVATED to do the work they were asking me to do. If I had, had a teacher that walked and talked what she taught because she had been there, then I probably would have been more willing to try harder/give it my best. That is one thing that I look forward to in being a teacher…being able to RELATE to my students. Be a teacher that is able to look at things through her students eyes, not just through empathy, but through ACTUALITY and AUTHENTICITY.

I was wondering if a teacher was suppose to write during writing workshop? My question was answered in this reading. Katie said, “I teach during writing workshop-from start to finish.” After she explained how she taught through the focus lesson and then one-on-one that made more sense. Although, the planning side of teach through one-on-one conferences make me NERVOUS because you can’t really plan because you don’t know what the student is going to say. So I guess a question for this would be how can I get myself as prepared as possible for student-teacher conferences?

I like the idea of having homework as the student’s “WORLD WORK.” Thinking, looking, analyzing the world around them and writing their thoughts/feeling/etc. into a notebook. Perfect HOMEWORK!

"Writing is like going Fishing..."

"Writing is like going fishing...when you do it you're just fishing and it's very much a state of being and doing that separates you from any other activity"

I feel as though I all of a sudden have a passion for writing that I never had before. After reading chapter 1-5 of The Writing Workshop: Working through the Hard Parts (And They’re All Hard Parts) by Katie Wood Ray I have a new idea and inspiration for writing.

In the beginning on chapter 1 I initially identified with the Katie when she talked about how teachers “think” they have a class where writing workshops take place, but really they just have their students dance through the writing process. And usually the students don’t really dance, they drag their feet because the writing process is not about discovery or learning to be a writer, it’s just BORING. I connected with Katie because this is how I remember writing to be in Elementary school, very strict and structured. Although in my third grade class I remember having a writing journal wherein on Friday we had “free write” time where we could write whatever we wanted and that was my FAVORITE time to write.

                “As teachers we really do not have the right to make this decision for students.” AMEN SISTA’! One of the things I have enjoyed while being in the Elementary Education Program is that most teachers assign specific topics or pose certain question such as; what is your philosophy of teaching? But I am not give a direct to take that in, or a specific limit on how much I HAVE TO WRITE, it is all very free. I understand that given the specific topic is a little limiting, but it is refreshing to know that I don’t have to STRESS over writing what I think my professor wants me to write. This is how I would love writing in my future classroom to feel and look like.

                I enjoyed Katie’s thoughts on how incorporating writing into other curriculum is not enough it needs its own space. For example she said, “I believe reading and writing, as content areas, are different from other because they are thing you do, not things you know.” I had never thought about this before. Before reading this book I thought that students doing writing throughout day in other content areas was just enough, but now I realize that I was VERY wrong. Writing IS A THING YOU DO, not a thing you know. It really wouldn’t make sense to say “I KNOW WRITING” rather “WRITING IS SOMETHING I DO.” So I wonder how I evoke this message to other teachers who still think the way I USED TO THINK?

                I have never really thought of myself as a “writer” but after reading chapter 3, I am thinking a little differently. I liked Katie’s analogy of asking herself if she considers herself a cook because she spends a lot of time cooking. I, too spend a lot of time cooking and after reading Katie’s analogy I might consider myself a cook, but it is a little more difficult to consider myself a writer. Although after reflecting on all the different types of writing I do, I believe I do consider myself A WRITER. Must all successful teachers think of themselves as writers?

                I like the idea of setting a TONE in the classroom of writing. Have the students view the teacher as a writer because she is just a fluid in the classroom as the students as. In my future classroom I do not envision myself to be separated from my students instead I want to look like one of them, fully engaged in the “activities” of the classroom. Applying this to the writing workshop I like that the teacher should be writing also and that the students should know and be able to describe their teacher as a writer. The she/he has had good days and bad days as a writer too.

                The last two things I enjoyed from Katie was the RITUAL of having writing workshop mirror the routine of lunchtime. I too believe is consistency. Also I LOVED the idea of having a Publishing Party where people outside the classroom are invited and students are able to share their work. This would be a great way to HONOR the student’s hard work that they produced in the writing workshop. It would also show the students how much the teacher VALUES their work.

Assignment Excuses

Tonight when I was going to read and blog for my assignment my grandma-in-law was admitted to Athens Regional, so we went to visit to make sure she was okay.

Tonight when I was going to read and blog for my assignment I remembered that I hadn't finished my map assignment and well that sort of sounded more fun

Tonight when I was going to read and blog for my assignment I remembered that I needed to start filling out my Student Teaching Application

Tonight when I was going to read and blog for my assignment I got too tired and fell asleep....

No excuses, tomorrow it WILL be done!