Chapter 1 Reflections

One of the main ideas that I gathered from Chapter 1 is that as teachers we need to make teaching writing easier, more manageable, and more fun for both our students and ourselves.  One of the greatest gifts we can give to our students is to help them become motivated and confident writers.  How do we accomplish these goals? The first thing we need to do is focus on the writers we are teaching as opposed to the pressure of preparing our students for state assessments.  I know that many of my colleagues agree that our students struggle when it comes to higher-level thinking skills, communicating, inquiring, exploring language, and problem-solving.  Do we want our students to act as robots where they simply memorize the information that we teach them to pass a test?  Does a “proficient score” on a test show a child’s true achievement and ability? 

New schedule allows for 45 minutes of Writer's Workshop.

Many years ago when I received training on Writer’s Workshop and the writing process, I felt that I was a teacher that made writing fun for my second graders.  It truly was my student’s favorite part of the day.  My children were engaged while writing about topics of their choice, revising and editing their stories, and publishing their favorite stories.  The best part of the day was “sharing time” where four or five students took turns sitting on the coveted author’s chair to read their personal stories.  The author’s peers were encouraged  to ask the young authors questions or share comments about their writing.  Although Writer’s Workshop is still scheduled in my day, it feels like I have squeezed out the joy in writing.  Instead of a 45-minute writing time, 20-25 minutes is allotted daily for writing.  What do I need to do to create the positive, engaging atmosphere that I had in Writer’s Workshop years ago?  It is time to examine my beliefs and make the necessary changes to ensure that my students become passionate about writing; this is what leads to excellent writers.