Reflection: Teaching the Personal Essay

I still believe that this is the most meaningful teaching I do all year.  And now, I've cut out a lot of other non-essentials in order to free time and space for students to engage authentically in the process.  Always, teaching this involves high highs and low lows.  Sometimes I have conversations with students during the writing process and during conferencing that I believe truly help them help themselves reach the next step.  Other times, I read a student essay and I'm at a complete loss for words.  The only thing to do at that time is to shut up and listen to the student.  If I can get the student talking about why they chose a particular topic, what led them to write an entire essay about "Ants"--true story--then I can usually get them to reveal what it is that they are really trying to say.  The next step is to follow with a simple question, "What do you think you'll do next?"  The great thing about this job is that most of the time, the student has the answer about how to make his writing better.  I don't have to come up with it.  I just have to ask the right questions to help him discover what needs to be done next.

Stuff I struggle with during the "teaching" of writing:

• Shutting up and letting students write.  Well, okay, that isn't exactly true.  I do shut up and let them write.  But then I sit back at my desk or I walk around the room and feel guilty about earning my paycheck.  Intellectually, I know this is guff.  What do students lack today?  Time.  And good writing takes a lot of time.  I want good writing, therefore I am willing to give them time.  Did I just write a syllogism? Probably not. 
• Not taking loads of paperwork home.  Totally not true.  When the writing conference is at the center of writing instruction, no one has to sit home and write comments that will mostly be ignored on compositions that usually require something more for improvement....something more like a conversation.  In this conversation, the student brings the pen to the conference.  The student takes notes.  And I go home and make squash soup. 

That's all for this time.