Evelyn Lashley English 61 Assignment 1 Professor Megan Brown

I WRITE, THEREFORE, I AM It is interesting to consider the power of writing. We assume many things about a writer when we read his work. Based on the voice that he presents to readers, we may question his intelligence, credibility, experience, or authority. We judge writers on this voice while encouraging everyone to be genuine and unique. How, then, can we define what makes good or bad writing in a general sense? Saunders wrote, A sentence could peel away from its fellows and be, not only from you, but you (61). So the real question is whether or not there is a way to portray ones thoughts in a unique way while still following the basic rules of grammar and language. The answer is: Heck yes there is a way, and Im doing it. Writing is taught at an early age. Although McCloskey would argue that there is a writing crisis due to the ineptitude of teachers in this century, I think that our education system is nowhere near crisis mode. Most of what I know about writing

came from my years of schooling, but some came from home. I benefitted immensely from my mom helping me with English skills outside of school. She always corrected my grammar and refused to let me use text language. Teachers today are not completely responsible for the success or failure of their students. While they do have a strong influence on how much the student learns, having that continued education after school was vital for my improvement in the subject.

Why Johnny Cant, Like, Write discusses the benefits and drawbacks of a
Writers Workshop format in an English classroom. McCloskey argues that this program does nothing to further the students skills as writers. In my experience, I have found that many students learn from practice. Young writers should write for enjoyment, not perfection. I am living proof that students learn best when they have love or passion for what they are doing. As a future English teacher, it is my ultimate goal to teach students who want to learn. The Writers Workshop is a great way to instill this passion for writing at an early age. If children learn to write as a form of expression and entertainment first, it will be less of a burden to learn the mechanics of writing later on.

That being said, I do agree with McCloskeys claim that No writer learns to write well through praise alone (2). While encouragement and praise help motivate students towards improvement, there is a certain point where students need to learn the grammatical aspects of their task. Suggestions made in McCloskeys article could be quite beneficial to a learning writer. Creating habits of checking spelling, elaborating, and proof reading can only help the student as he progresses through school. Asking questions and addressing problems to the class as a whole allow for students to learn from mistakes while maintaining the anonymity of the incorrect student. In third grade, I was in Gifted and Talented English. We had to leave all our friends and miss recess to have a special Language Arts class every day. Not only were we upset about the sacrifices we had to make, but we also had a crotchety old teacher named Mrs. Dodge. If we ever made a spelling or grammar mistake, she would make us stand up in front of the class and read the sentence. The class would then tell us what was wrong with our work. The whole process was beyond humiliating, and while we were sure not to make those mistakes again, it did not make us very enthused about the class.

Undoubtedly, students treated that way in the classroom will eventually lose all motivation to write. It is important to find a balance between feedback and encouragement when teaching writing. The teacher that caused the biggest improvement in my writing was my sophomore English teacher, Mr. Wills. Before my sophomore year, I didnt have an individual writing style. Wills was eccentric to say the least, and had no shame when expressing his ideas. He would vocalize his thoughts and help us brainstorm without forcing ideas on us. For all of our assignments, he allowed us to choose the topic and make it our own. This provided the opportunity to be original while still learning the skills of writing in different genres. We could always bring in rough drafts for him to read and correct before the final draft. Giving us the freedom of choice and providing feedback on mechanics was a perfect example of the way to teach writing. He taught grammar lessons and corrected mistakes, but we explored topics that interested us and discovered our own voice. McCloskey writes that the retreat from formal grammar instruction is motivated by educators concern that theres something oppressive about telling a child that theres a right and a wrong way to handle language (3). In some ways,

shes right. Educator or not, it is difficult to tell the difference between right and wrong in writing. Issues arise when students try to fit into a certain role with their writing, which is where Bartholomae and his discourse come into play. As students progress through schooling, they attempt to fit the mold of what their professor is expecting of them, rather than what they would naturally produce. Bartholomaes idea of discourse is like a gatekeeper. Once youre in, youre in. Fake it till you make it. Thats exactly what I did, and now I have the freedom to break the mold and develop on my own. I am very happy with the writer that I have become, and the progression was simple: learn to love it, learn to master it, learn to manipulate it. I have determined my voice as a writer. Period. Do I write more professionally for a research paper than I do for a letter to a friend? Yes, and in that regard, Bartholomaes discussion of discourse holds some merit. But the true voice of any writer comes through after he has conformed to expectations and then exceeded them. Every writer must learn to write correctly in order to eventually achieve the freedom of his own voice. While the process takes time, it is definitely worth it. And when you get there, Johnny, it sure is liberating.