Atwell and Peterson - What it means to me!

I found Nancie Atwell’s story of her journey in becoming a Teacher with a capital T incredibly relatable and relevant to my future practice as an educator. What struck me most about the narrative was the importance of growth that is emphasized throughout the reading. When Atwell describes her evolution as a teacher, she promotes the idea that we must always work to improve ourselves if we hope to reach our students in the best, most effective way possible. By trying out new ideas or concepts in education, we are more likely to develop an array of tactics to employ successfully in the classroom. Another striking element that emerged from Atwell’s narrative was her account of a past student, Jeff, and his struggles in the classroom, specifically with writing. By including a specific, personal story, Atwell makes her narrative that much more relatable. Jeff’s story really struck a chord with me. Although I personally did not struggle in school, I have seen those close to me have a difficult time in the classroom. Jeff represents the fact that each and every student within the four walls of a classroom will learn in a different way. Each student will have different tactics and strategies that will work best for them specifically. By drawing before composing a piece of writing, Jeff was able to complete a task through which he otherwise struggled. By writing in his own way, Jeff was able to achieve a certain level of success. This behaviour, while not conventional, is what needs to be encouraged. If a student discovers a way in which they can successfully complete a task, they should be encouraged to do so. Therefore, as teacher’s, we must be open to a variety of possibilities when it comes to learning. By tailoring our ideas to fit the needs of our students, the classroom will be a healthier, more productive environment.

Chapters 1-2 of Peterson’s Writing Across the Curriculum: All Teachers Teach Writing discusses the importance of making writing a cross-curricular skill to be learned and applied in a variety of subject matter. Further, Peterson discusses how we can find a place for writing in different subject areas. My teachables, being History and English, are often associated with writing. As such, writing has been incorporated within these subjects a great deal at this point in time. This being said, there is always room for improvement, and the writing process can be more fully integrated. Not only can the process be more integrated it can also be approach from a variety of different perspectives. For example, in English writing is typically more structured, often taking the form of essays or opinion pieces. Through my own experiences in school, I feel as though some of the creativity in English has been forgotten. If we incorporate different forms of writing in our English classes, poetry, stories, journaling, perhaps we can bring a more diverse, approachable nature to the English classroom.