Although I found these two pieces to be a little bit on the drier side, out of the two I found the Russell text to be more fun to read. I did however enjoy the Foss piece and reading about the history of rhetoric and of different philosophers and sophists. The Russell text made me ponder the idea of teaching writing more than the Foss piece. In my opinion, writing is one of the most, if not the most, important tool/skill a human being acquires. Writing ties into speech and reading and those skills are necessary for survival. Writing is intrinsic to being successful. With such a focus on other areas of study, the lack of focus on writing is only going to harm the future generations. I really felt compelled early on in the Russell piece when the contradictory nature of the American education system and its relationship to writing was mentioned. Before starting this program, I never considered how I was taught to write and the lack of importance of it that was instilled in me. I was told how to plan my writing, to make my voice absent to make my work sound “proper” or “academic”, and I was not taught how to revise properly. I have been absolutely shell-shocked, especially after taking Writing Theory and Practice in the fall semester. There are so many different aspects of writing that I had never even thought could look different such as revision, feedback, planning, etc.. I am reminded in these texts that the way writing is taught could look entirely different. I understand the importance of having a curriculum or basis to give students feedback but I also feel myself drawn towards a more radical approach to writing pedagogy. I feel particularly passionate about encouraging voice in writing. Voice is the very foundation of our writing and I feel that students are encouraged to focus more on “proper” English and sticking to the guidelines to make it easier to receive a grade. I struggle between the battle of wanting students to find their voice but also understanding the necessity of structure in a classroom.
Past and Present Pedagogy
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