Chapter 8 of Reading, Writing, and Rising Up

Tracking is a hot topic both in Christensen's book and in education studies as a whole. English class or math class, tracking happens and there's no getting around it. Christensen makes some great observations in her chapter on tracking and how to deal with teaching "lower- tracked" students and how to teach mixed classes.

When one student said, "Schools are set up like beauty pageants - some of us were set up to fail. They way they treat us, they might as well say, 'you suck, get lost, get out of here.'" it broke my heart! Mostly because I understand and have seen what this student is talking about.

I've noticed lately, especially now that I'm out in the schools pre-interning, that it's not the negative comments that cut more often. Sure, there are teachers who are negative I'm sure, but more often there are teachers who are apathetic. Those apathetic folk who don't give praise or criticism are just as bad as teachers who tell students out loud that they are worthless. Not telling students anything at all, IS telling them they are worthless without saying it out loud.

Spoon-feeding students bits of information, nothing in-depth, is just like silently letting them know that anything more than that would be over their head and they wouldn't be able to handle it. No student fails if they are never given the opportunity to succeed, and I think Christensen recognizes this in this chapter.

Chapter Four of "Is It Done Yet?"

Peer editing, as discussed in class, is an important step in revising. While I don't think it's necessary for students in middle school all the time or for every assignment, a fresh eye for each paper that isn't the writer is necessary.

Using different rubrics for each assignment, and checking those rubrics to make sure they're actually rating what is important in the paper and are requiring what they need to learn and take away from the paper.

Chapter Three of "Is It Done Yet?"

One idea I liked that comes out of this chapter is the idea of showing students work that is good, and also accessible to them. Students who think, "Yeah, I could do that" are much more likely to try harder and have a better final product in the process. Students should understand that modeling isn't wrong, and modeling (not copying) another person's work or ideas or concepts shouldn't be discouraged.

Chapter Six of Reading, Writing, and Rising Up

I think Christensen was brave for tackling the issue of immigration, and with its parallels to our times it's a subject that needs to be talked about in classrooms.

Like the "Where I'm From" poem, the topic of immigration helps students understand where they come from, and where their classmates come from. The idea of doing research and teaching students how to do their own research is a concept which they'll need to learn, and learning it about their heritage will add a more personal element to their research. The personal element is an element that Christensen always keeps in mind in her lessons, and it is because she understands that the more personal an issue is to a student, the harder they will work and the more that they will learn.

Chapter Two of "Is It Done Yet?"

Describing the steps of revision like an ice cream cone was a great visualizer for the subject, and the steps Gilmore outlines are definitely the most crucial points of revising a paper. Even to this day it's almost second nature to want to proofread and do all the superficial changes first, just because they are the easiest.

I like the idea of students helping develop the topics, and I think it's very important for them to be able to write a thesis clearly, and with a purpose. Many papers don't work out because they lack purpose, and they lack passion. Without these two things, many students can't write a essay that would truly be enjoyed by the teacher, or the student themselves.

Chapter One of "Is It Done Yet?"

The aspect that struck me most about the first chapter of Gilmore's book is his answer to the question "Is there a system?"

Gilmore writes, "every student, every class is different." I feel that that concept is very important because it is a very easy thing to forget both as a teacher, and as a writer of books for teachers. It's easy to generalize about students and about classrooms, and easier still to forget that each is different. Every class has its own members, and each member has their own personality that will either me like many others you've know, or unlike any you've ever met. In this way it is important to cater to the needs of each class - even though you may be teaching the same subject to the same age group four times a day, I believe you should be teaching it four different ways. This should be done both for the teacher's sake, and the sake of the students.

Each student deserves the best possible, and having a teacher who is bored with the material or the lesson doesn't help anyone learn.

Chapter Five of Reading, Writing, and Rising Up

I love The Color Purple and the way Christensen uses it in her teaching. I love that she uses it because not only is it relevant because of the poetic quality of the writing, but it's also historical in nature and thus educational in more ways than one. I think it's great how Christensen illustrates how students reading their poetry helps their classmates realize they aren't alone, and that many of the same things have happened to them.

As we found through our poems in our class, it seems that a lot can be discovered about others and about ourselves through writing and reading our poetry. This is important because we, as educators of English, are teachers first - English teachers second.

Chapter Six of Cohesive Writing

This chapter is a short reflection, and I'm not sure how to reflect on Jago's reflection, so I think I'll comment on the book in general.

I liked this book, and I feel like it worked well paired with Christensen's book. Christensen's book puts a personal face on a lot of the things Jago writes about in a more objective manner. Jago's four objectives make a lot of sense to me, and I'll definitely be remember them while I'm teaching. The importance of revision and positive feedback are important factors in making students into writers. One of the greatest thing that can stem from achieving these objects is that students won't just feel comfortable about writing, some students will have fun writing. Enjoying writers and writing, and what it takes to be a writer, is one of the greatest things about English literature and the study of it.

Chapter Five of Cohesive Writing

This chapter has several good points about writing papers, one of them being that "teachers do a disservice to students if they accept first-draft jottings as finished papers" (83). Until recently I didn't know the true value of revising papers. If a student never has the opportunity to rewrite an assignment, they will never correct the first mistakes they had made and those are more likely to make those mistakes again. Jago also stresses the importance of writing to become a better writer. Improving your writing through writing is a big theme of Christensen's teachings, and Jago affirms that practice makes for better writers. The person writing comments on the paper example might have been a little critical, or at least a little to forceful. Positive comments are good, and asking the student questions to help encourage their thought process is also a good thing to do.

Chapter Four of Reading, Writing, and Rising Up

The most interesting part of this reading for me was what Christensen has to say about students avoiding being creative or taking risks with their writing because they are afraid of making mistakes. A side effect of society's emphasis of grammar leads many students to worry that writing freely and without stress. Granted, grammar and spelling errors can be distracting to teachers as the reader, but the important thing about students writing is their message and what they are trying to say. The point they are trying to make and what they want to get across through their words and tone is the most important factor during writing exercises and free writes. Using words students use at home is the best way to make them feel comfortable, and thus more able to write meaningful things.