Reading all that WRITING

A few of my former students have come back to tell me they’ve decided to become English teachers. I know they come back to tell me that news as a way of acknowledging the role they feel my class held in their high school career, but I’m always left wondering what to say in return.

I always give them a hug and thank them for their visit (I love visits from ghosts–former students), but I always have a sort of rolling feeling in my stomach. It could be caused by the flip-flopping my stomach does in reaction to my alternating emotions.

• “Yay! Teaching English is invigorating! So many great books to discuss! Seeing the light of understanding pop on over a struggling kid’s head is the best feeling ever!”
• “Yikes! You do know the grading load for an English teacher is HUGE! No one ever listens to the edits you make on their papers. So many papers! So much time spent grading. Are you sure? Don’t you remember how big the to-be-graded pile was on my desk at the end of the trimester?”

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I know this is my forever career–I’ll always be a teacher. However, just like every job, there are pros and cons, and the con I struggle with the most is the grading load I create for myself every year. It is the one thing that haunts me year after year over the decade I’ve been teaching. I know it is largely caused by my inefficient planning and my reliance on teaching writing the way I’ve always taught it.

Why do I expect things to change if I don’t do anything differently?

I’m going to try something different this year. Writing Workshops.

In the reading I’ve done regarding Writing Workshops, I can see these workshops put more responsibility on students’ shoulders rather than waiting for me to point out the flaws and weaknesses in their work. At least, that’s my hope!

My hopes and goals for including Writing Workshops in this year’s curriculum:

• Better overall products (essays/papers) from my students
• Students who are more confident in their writing skills
• More open discussions about what good writing is and how to achieve it
• Less grading time
• A happier teacher–ME!
• Oh, and happier students too!

If you are experienced in using Writing Workshops give me some pointers that will help me avoid trouble and find success for my students (and myself).