For me, that burden is a joy, though.
As I lay the foundation in my senior level
English literature class, I imagine these students building on the rock I’ve
prepared for them. Don't tell my students, but I've been preparing them for writing throughout their college
career by instilling a sense of curiosity.
My philosophy does not just refer to teaching English. I teach
English because that’s my life experience. That’s what I do and what I know
best. My philosophy of teaching reaches past the boundaries of grammar,
literature, and analysis. I want my students to think for themselves. I do not
mean my students should spew the words of great philosophers and life experts –
although that will come with experience. I want students to be aware of their
own potential. I want them to question life and expectations, to consider the
possibilities, to refine their own interpretations. Inspiring those lessons is
not easy. It takes setting the stage in a classroom that shakes their reality,
reaching into their comfort zone and shattering it just a little bit. In my classroom, it starts with a bulletin board decorated with fruit-covered
wallpaper. It also means having students analyze a simple essay for deeper
meaning – not the writer’s, but their own – or determining who, Hamlet or
Ophelia, was more victimized by their parents’ weaknesses in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Accessing students’ deeper learning
happens once their reality becomes more accessible when viewed through the
words of classic literature or modern film, when experienced through the lyrics
of a good rock song or the science of a simple math equation, when analyzed
through the microscope of exploration. To learn, we must break through the fear
that holds us to others’ expectations. The learner must ask the burning
question of an eager three-year-old – why?
There is a reason that question is one of the six taught to budding
journalists. ‘Why’ reveals intent and encourages honesty. It addresses motives,
and, in so doing, creates deeper meaning, enabling the student to turn that
child’s question into an adult’s philosophy.
To teach that deeper meaning, I teach
the basics of writing: the art of brainstorming, the joy of free-writing, the
structure of outlining, the randomness of clustering. Once the rough draft is
complete, (heh, heh ... this is coming this week, students!) I teach them to question their essay like a journalist, asking them
to possibly answer their question “outside the box.” And then comes the
greatest sacrifice, peer review, where students must filter through the
comments of classmates for the nuggets that will strengthen their work. The
process does not end there, that is only when I actively join it and help them
direct it. There is a tedious process to completion, but each step holds its
own lessons. It’s in revision that we learn to focus our writing, and many a
writer has gotten trapped by their own words.
I believe in the revision process,
therefore, the final grade for an assignment is given when the student decides
the work is complete. I am available to students and encourage early submission
to allow for discussion about clarity of voice and whether the assignment may
need another revision.
Writing, for many students, is just
something for school. They believe they will not need these tools in the real
world. Unfortunately, they will learn the truth soon enough. If they haven’t
been taught the precision offered by clear writing they will be unprepared as
soon as their employer asks for a proposal. The finished product may have too
much information arranged haphazardly. When employers ask for clear directions,
they may get imprecise writing that leads to confusion, as the chaos made worse
by ambiguous instructions that contributed to the Three Mile Island accident.
The importance of writing is what drives
me in my instruction. As a teacher, I am part of the process. I lay the groundwork
that must be developed until college graduation and beyond. So, in summary, what is my philosophy? I
offer students the tools, help them find answers to their questions, and guide
them to a finished product using their own words at a newer, expanded level of
comfort. The final product must be well-organized and accessible, as I expect
my teaching to be.
And when I connect with students in this way, everything is great in my life.
