For some of my students, the struggle with writing is dependent upon the context. Some folks really struggled with the literacy narrative but excelled with the research proposal. More of the students found the literacy narrative challenging than found the research-centered writing. In fact, many of them did not manage to bring their narratives out of a thesis-driven context, so “well-trained” in the essay that a brief narrative seemed incomprehensible. Some so focused on the “big picture” that a moment felt insignificant and difficult to focus on.

I can see Freire’s concept of the banking model throwing a shadow over these struggles. Perhaps the insistence on one method, the one that will allegedly serve them in this hypothetical “real world,” has dampened the possibility of other styles of writing? With a focus on placement testing to get into college, why would spending time on creative writing be practical?

For other students it seems to be a matter of language. One student recently shared with me that he feels that he has a command of speaking, that he can be persuasive and eloquent while talking, but that once those words go to paper, they just don’t make sense. He’s tried using software that will transcribe what he speaks, tried reading his written work aloud, but it just doesn’t seem to click for him. Interestingly, it doesn’t show in his writing as far as I can tell.

Other students in my class who have shared that English is their second language struggle a bit with grammar and vocabulary. What they say makes perfect sense but the vocab mishaps or grammar “errors” would likely create a barrier in Acadamia (TM). I’ve taken the approach of not grading on this basis but acknowledging this potential barrier and offering to be a resource if it’s something they are interested in. It’s important to me to not reinforce a culture of white supremacy when it comes to writing and I also have to acknowledge that many academic gatekeepers won’t feel the same way.

There is such a diversity of writing skills and interests in my class that it would be difficult to pin down each struggle and each trend. But I do think there is a real ambivalence toward writing in general among our students. They seem to acknowledge its necessity while admitting some level of distaste. In future courses I’d hold enjoyment, fun, pleasure, and excitement as high values in my teaching. I believe in these concepts but didn’t bring them to the table in an intentional way. I’d love to see what centering those ideas might do.