Teaching Writing

It seems as though Regie Routman has additional and valuable information to share regarding the writing process and essentials we must provide our students.  Rachel Wood Ray impressed me from the very start, but Routman has done just the same!  Her ideas are fresh and exciting, and I was excited to read about new suggestions as well as ideas I am currently practicing in my classroom.  From simplifying the writing process to the celebration and sharing of writing, students must be actively engaged and interested. 

I never thought of myself as a writer and because of that writing has never been an area in my teaching that I have felt success or excitement about.  As I read the words presented by Routman, however, these feelings changed.  In addition to Nancy Wood Ray’s suggestions, the two have sparked a new interest and excitement for teaching writing, and I’m already anticipating next year’s writing curriculum.  I am excited to bring writing into my classroom with the ideas and suggestions brought forth by both Ray and Routman. 

One of the ideas Routman presented was the importance of celebration and writing.  Everyone in my classroom must celebrate their successes, risks, and learning opportunities that will develop from their writing experiences.  As Routman stated, “The celebration of children’s writing needs to move right up front to become a major teaching goal.  Too many of our students find writing painful, and much of that pain comes from too much concern and correctness at the expense of enjoyment” (18).  Unfortunately, my personal experiences with writing have been negative, and I have lost the enjoyment associated with it.  I feel that Routman provided many suggestions and ideas for me to use and incorporate as I try to bring back and build the excitement for writing in my own classroom.  I want my students to be excited about writing as second graders and continue their love for writing through the years.  Not only are there suggested goals for myself as a teacher, but outcomes to help me assist my students in developing and meeting their goals as writers.

Another suggestion from Routman included the importance of modeling good writing as well as depicting how a struggler writer may think.  Students need to see that writing just doesn’t happen, and even their teacher can struggle.  Students need to hear how to work through the stumbles and falls as a topic and ideas are created and developed.  Not only does the act of teaching writing need to be modeled and shared, but the idea of just writing needs to be done as well.  When students write, teachers should write, too, something I need to focus on more next year.  Whenever my students are engaged in writing, I will also try to do the same.  Students need to see that writing is important to me.  If I want my students to write for me, I must do the same for them.