Many students in their original letters stated they weren’t good writers or that writing wasn’t their strong suite. I’ve tried to revisit this notion in mid-term conferences and gauge how students feel about their original statement. While I haven’t gotten through many mid-term conferences yet, many students have said that they simply have not had the opportunity to write outside of required writing. The struggle then might simply be the weight of requirement compounded with the weight of judgement.

Some of the research project topics allude to concerns students have about writing or literacy in general. Topics concerning the impact of social media usage, of text messaging, and of class backgrounds on student literacy reveal a certain anxiety of unpreparedness, lack of focus or skills. The struggle with writing strong questionnaires or surveys revealed a lack of complex thinking in terms of how to make layered comparisons or look at a subject from different angles; it also revealed a lack of risk-taking. This seems somewhat normal given students are likely coming from rigid schooling where they may not have had the space or encouragement to think creatively.

Many students have provided general statements that English is just a subject they struggle with or aren’t good at. The primary assignment that I have debriefed with students in regards to writing is Project 1: The Literacy Narrative. The most common specific struggles relayed for this project was finding and focusing on a specific moment. I also found this difficult for myself in comp camp, however I understand the significance in trying to write about a specific moment and how that lends itself to a compelling narrative. I appreciated hearing about Jo’s exercise that she shared in class about using a screenplay to hone in on a specific moment – that seems like a great way to explore writing about a moment and the different aspects one can focus on to immerse their reader.

One observation I have had is that I think the young men in class are more confident about themselves as writers than the young women are – confident in that they seem to accept praise, encouragement, and even the title of writer more readily than their female peers. One male student even rejected feedback on his writing displaying a surprising level of dismissiveness and overconfidence, stating he was clear in response to some feedback that some specific things in his piece were not clear.

For next quarter, I would like to intentionally get to know what the specific struggles are for my students and be responsive to these struggles. I would like support students in becoming self-aware about their struggles and strengths to de-mystify what it means to be “good” at writing. Hearing Sam talk about asking her students what they want to learn about and offering flexibility to teach those things was inspiring. I have been thinking about how I could manage this and am looking forward to thinking it through more as we design Winter quarter.