Let’s jump right in with Andrea Lunsford’s Writing is Informed by Prior Experience. This entire reading tapped into the teacher part of my brain. Starting with the conversation around experiences, this is something I hold dear as a teacher and genuinely keep in the back of my mind at all times. With the help of years of studying and research in the education and psychology fields, I understand the significance of a negative interaction, and I would hate to be the reason behind that. I wouldn’t want my students to have a negative relationship with writing, English, or education—anything—due to a certain experience with me. When Lunsford moves on and discusses drawing from previous knowledge, it made me reflect on the five-paragraph essay. We don’t just teach five-paragraph essays; we drill them into their heads. That’s why we have college students writing in that same format, even though it’s no longer appropriate. However, with that being the only or main writing knowledge they have and can pull from, it’s almost unfair for us to expect anything different from them.
Next is Victor Villanueva’s Writing Provides a Representation of Ideologies & Identities. Everything written rang true, not only as a writer but as a human. Of course, our writing represents the identities and ideologies we hold. Whether we realize it or not, our writing is a reflection of who we are, no matter what kind of writing we’re doing. Though I knew the concept of identity politics, I don’t recall ever hearing that term, making it something new I learned. The same goes for the pedagogy of representation; it’s something I’ve done and reflected on, but I don’t know if I knew the term for it. Specifically, with that concept, not only is it something I’ve engaged with, but it’s something I try to apply to life in general. We all need to always be mindful of our biases and ideologies and be conscious of how we’re showing up in the world. A big takeaway from this article, in my opinion, was the importance of voice. With all the identities we hold and everything we bring to our writing, finding your voice becomes an essential task. That voice will be the thread throughout anything you write—no matter what it’s for, it will always be a reflection of you, beyond the explicit words.
Next is Kathleen Yancey’s Writers’ Histories, Processes, and Identities Vary. Something I liked about this is that she highlighted the problem of uniformity within teaching writing. Not only is it problematic in itself, but in the grand scheme, it serves no child. I also liked that she acknowledged how complicated it is to teach with students’ identities, histories, and processes in mind. However, just because it’s complex doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be strived for. On the other hand, I hold space for the reality that this isn’t sustainable. When you have teachers who are overworked, burnt out, teaching overpopulated classrooms, juggling multiple classes, and so much more, it’s almost unrealistic to expect this level of attention to detail to be maintained.
Let’s wrap it up with Anne Penrose and Cheryl Geisler’s Reading & Writing Without Authority. Let me start by saying I had to Google “paternalism” because, what? Anyway, I felt this article was pretty straightforward. It compares a college freshman’s work to that of a soon-to-be doctor and analyzes and highlights the differences. To no surprise at all, Janet, the freshman, exhibited inexperience in her work. From her indecision and uncertainty about interjecting herself into the paper to her use of generic terms when referencing the authors, it was clear. As the article mentions, Janet is a good example of why it’s so important to encourage students to believe they have authority in certain spaces. Even if they don’t feel qualified, their voices matter, and we should empower them.
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