“A mouse sat under a tree. He was reading a book.” – Arnold Lobel As teachers of writing, we read lots of papers. Lots, and lots, and lots of papers. Usually I start off very enthusiastic about the whole thing, excited to see how far they have progressed since I last saw a draft or spoke with them about their […]
How many pages does this have to be???? I teach three sections of ninth grade English at Lamar School in Meridian. I love teaching freshmen; they are so unsure of this whole high school thing and are, for the most part, pretty eager to please. Translation: the perfect guinea pigs for me! Our school, like most, stresses writing. The students […]
First-year writers at the University of Mississippi compose reflective ePortfolios in which they examine their writing practices throughout the year. Work on the ePortfolios begins in the first week of the semester. In my classes, students begin their ePortfolios with a writer’s statement called “Me as a Writer.” They write a paragraph describing how they see themselves as writers, upload […]
A new semester has just begun, and I once again find myself struggling to introduce a new group of first-year students to college writing. This time, I tried to think of a new way to help them understand the necessity of active engagement in a writing class by stressing the difference between content classes and skill classes. I explained to […]
Each new school year brings the excitement of new students, new goals, and new opportunities. Each new year, teachers eagerly await their students’ return, thrilled to have the chance to try a new strategy or new approach. Each new year, teachers have the hope that this will be the year more students are inspired to write. On the other hand, […]