Dear+Dr.+Shea

Teaching Writing has been an amazing semester of growth professionally and personally. Returning to school after 10 years has been a life changing experience. I have always had a love of reading and writing; however, as a mother of a blended family of seven has occupied any “free time” in my schedule and the things that were once for pleasure often fall to the bottom of the list. After the fall semester in Teaching Reading, I returned to my love of books and find myself immersed in reading during the late hours of the night when the house is quiet. This reunification was a smooth easy transition for me. Unfortunately this transition did not prove to be as easy in my journey of writing.

Teaching Writing has presented many challenges. The first challenge was having the confidence in my writing again. As a teenager I wrote every thought in my head down and it often poured out in the form of poetry. I was a strong writer and pursed my undergraduate degree in Journalism based on that foundation. Writing played a minor role in my career after graduation and my own “freewriting” soon diminished. Listening to the writing of my peers in class was intimidating and presented a struggle for me when I wrote and kept me from sharing regularly. The online critique in class was rewarding because it allowed me to see that others could relate to the things that I wrote about and more importantly liked what I wrote! At the age of 34, you would think that I would not need this type of approval but it has reminded me of the consideration I will need to give my students who will be much more vulnerable to criticism.

I was Most Proud Of "My Center of Gravity" because it was the first piece I had written in a long time about something personal. I openly speak to friends about this journey but I have never evaluated my decisions as closely as I had when I wrote this piece. I was able to write with the emotions of this event and how it changed my life. This showed me how important it is to have our students take this same journey and understand how great they will feel when they are able to put their emotions on paper. The feedback that was given by my peers was rewarding because they confirmed that I had done this and they heard what I had to say. In the piece I wrote called The Beads of Life started out as a freewrite. I was teaching Kindergarten for 6 weeks during a maternity leave and experienced many moments that confirmed why I prefer to teach middle school and high school age children. I enjoyed the children and had a lot of fun learning the ins and outs of kindergarten but the moments like these were not as enjoyable. This experience baffled me for days and I wanted to keep writing and talking about it. That is when my freewrite transformed into a poem. This was something I had not experienced in a long time. I was returning to a time when writing, especially poetry was my life’s journal.

My Most Challenging piece was “It feels just like…” This piece was not just academically challenging, but more importantly emotionally challenging. When my mother died 1.5 ago, I tried to write something to say at her funeral to honor her greatness she shared while on earth. I tried writing poetry, a eulogy, anything, but could not put the words on paper. Morning her death has been a long process and to be able to write this piece was a beginning to my own healing process. Listening to my classmate’s share their sadness and tears made me feel as though many of my freewrites were less important. I didn’t have anything to share about who I am. Writing this piece allowed me for the first time to share this painful experience, but it unfortunately came in the last few weeks of the semester and I was not able to share it with everyone. This confirmed for me that writing is not just an academic process, but an emotional process especially when we ask our students to become so vulnerable in such a difficult stage of life. I hope that I can share this experience with my students so they understand that writing does not happen overnight.

My favorite activities in class were the multigenre project, freewrites, and mentor texts. I enjoyed the multigenre because we learned about more technology that will be useful in our classrooms. As I substitute in many classrooms and pass out worksheets and view computer generated word documents, I realize how much more exciting students would be if they could incorporate the tool of technology into their writing. They often do not view these tools as a form of writing and I realize how exciting it would be for them to experience. The freewrites were refreshing, being encouraged to write about anything. The ideas that came from our freewrites and mentor texts were varied and often surprising. Thinking somewhat conservatively, I was surprised how many others often had similar views even with the generation gap. They also provided a learning experience for me as I saw things from a variety of perspectives. We definitely had a lot to learn about one another.

My writing goals were reached although not necessarily fully carried out. I began to write more frequently in my writer’s notebook and on any piece of paper I could find when it wasn’t available. This has been amusing for me. I have even used the recording device on my phone to record writing ideas. I have also been more conscious about writing drafts and revision not just in this class but my other classes as well. It has been a rewarding habit. The confidence to share my writing has been by far my most challenging of my writing goals. I have shared in class, but have not revealed the deep emotional writing I have begun to write. During our last freewrite I began to write about my mother’s lanyard that I carry in my purse. I was hoping to share this in class that day; it was a breakthrough for me. However, my dilemma was being able to turn off the tears so that I could get the words out. The piece is unfinished and the emotion I felt in beginning to write that piece would not have been demonstrated. There was no explanation for my tears but I wanted to finish that piece and I wanted to share it. I am hoping that my breakthrough continues and I am hoping to begin a blog during my 5 week break from school to continue to write and continue my healing.

It is difficult to point to one student that influenced me this semester. My peers reintroduced me to the power of the written word and provided even more excitement in my journey to teach this excitement. Some of my favorite pieces are listed in my Classmates Writing. I think the most memorable will be Carlos Ferron’s freewrite about his son. I have known Carlos for a year and we have shared stories about our children. I would have never imagined the story that he shared about the almost abortion would have been possible coming from such a loving father. This was a turning point in my thought process about the power and importance of students to be able to write this way. Rebecca Weaver was a great support to me in our journey this semester, I not only have a relationship with another future teacher, but I am priviledged to have her as my friend. She has been a great inspiration to me! Kristy Bugg, Sara Cozzen, Carlos Ferron and Wil Jenkins are often my goto classmates. I have had classes with them in the past and they are at similar stages in life as I am. I am able to relate to them on a different level and they understand my struggles in returning to school. I hope that I have done the same for them. Kylie Naugle has also been a great influence in my journey. She has much wit in her writing and she is also one of the most organized people I know! These students are those that I have gotten to know the best, but I am grateful for the room of future educators I am privileged to have met.

Class participation (D): I attended all classes and participated in all class elements. I facilitatde a class discussion, presented mentor text, facilitated and responded to online discussion, provided feedback to peer freewrites, participated in class discussion and shared a few freewrites in class.

Personal Writing (D): In accomplishing my writing goals above, I was able to fulfill the personal writing assessment. I regularly wrote in my writer’s notebook and wrote at other times even without it. I experimented with new genres like poetry and personal narratives that I have not attempted for many years. My writer’s notebook is full and almost complete – I will continue to add even after class ends!

Project Work (D): I actively participated and played a key role in our Multigenre project. I successfully completed my WPP engaging in reflection of teaching as I was presented with a student who will be like many of my students, unmotivated to write. She allowed me to evaluate ways to reach my reluctant students.

Presentation Grade (D-): My idea for my multigenre text was one that I have thought about using in a classroom many times. The postcards that I used had a large impact on me when I received them in high school and have held that importance even today. I feel that it is something simple, but teaches the power of words. My mini lesson was probably my biggest struggle in this class. I wanted to incorporate so much in the 15 minutes and learned that less is more. After giving my lesson I realized that it would have been more beneficial to students if I would have taught the concept in two mini lessons. Definitely a lesson learned. Being able to see some of my peer’s lessons was very useful and helped me to see ways I can make changes in the future.

Professional Dispositions (D): I have continued to demonstrate a positive attitude about teaching, working with my peers, and consistently strive to improve. School was not always easy for me when I was younger, and it has proven to be equally difficult many years later. Although my journey in both of these times has been different, I will use them when considering my students and the journey they are on. I am not an expert, but I am a writer and I can’t wait to share that with my students.

Thank you for the great journey! Shannon Carey