Looking at writing... a new perspective

This week represents my first full week of this semester.  I read chapters one through five in our textbook and would like to take a few moments to reflect on it.

Chapter one was an interesting read. I really appreciated the author explaining the difference between what the writing process is and holding a writing workshop.  When I was younger and in elementary as well as middle school, our writing class consisted of our teacher assigning us a topic and then going through the motions of the process.  It was painful in school to go through all of the steps of drafting, revising, rewriting, peer editing and then final rewrite.  There were times I can remember where we worked for two weeks on the same piece.  I think pulling every strand of hair out one by one would have been more fun.  In turn I learned to dislike writing.  Every time a teacher spoke of starting a new piece I just wanted to scream.  In my future classroom I would like to focus more on writing workshop.  I agree that it is important to teach the process but I want the focus to stay on the workshop itself.

Chapter two said what I believe many teachers think, if students write in all of the other subject areas is it really necessary to have a writing class? (Ray 17)  I agree with the author that yes it is necessary to have time for writing class.  It would have been nice to have time each day to write and almost keep a journal of everything going on.  It would have been nice to have time to just write what I was feeling and what I was thinking.  I plan to have time each day even if it is only 30 minutes for students to free write.

The next chapters I would like to discuss together.  It was funny to read what the author wrote when she said that people disagree that they are writers but instead reader’s when indeed many people write different things each day.  I know I write emails, text messages, bills, letters, and thank you notes.  I wonder if some one pointed this fact out if people would agree that they are indeed writers.  And lastly I would like to reiterate that a schedule is key to success of any classroom and so is lenience.  However, writing workshop does not needed to be treated like a fluid entity.  I agree completely that students need time to write and work on old pieces as well as new pieces.  Once established I believe that a writing workshop can exist with little instruction from the teacher.  In the classrooms that I have observed the best writing workshops were peer led.  I hope to apply what I have learned today to my classroom in the future.