Yancey Response

The very first thing I have to do is describe what I think my job as a writing instructor is? Tough question. I mean, the only things I've read about writing pedagogy has been a couple articles this week, and we all know I've never set foot in front of a classroom before. However, I've been a student in plenty of different writing classes, so I can certainly give this a go.

My first instinct is to make sure that all my students are at comparable levels in basic skills, or GUMS (grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling) as my high school English teacher called it. After spending three years copyediting my college's newspaper, I have a hard time letting this very basic principle take a backseat. However, it seems silly to drill students in how to use a semicolon when they could be focusing on how to make the actual content of their assignment stronger. I suppose another reason why basic skills jumps to mind is because of that one piece of writing that essentially everyone has to do - writing a resume or filling out a job application. While organization will certainly help, if a student makes frequent spelling and punctuation errors, they're almost certain to end up in the trashcan rather than the acceptance pile.

Perhaps a better skill I would like my students to learn is how to write for their audience. A simple journaling assignment can change drastically depending on whether it's written for oneself, the teacher, or other students to read. For example, if it's written just for oneself, emphasis on the writing's organization will probably drop - hopefully allowing the student to explore a concept freely. Even the content of this blog entry has been altered because I know my professor and possibly other students will read this. If a student manages to learn how to write for an audience, then I know they are able to assess what they mean to write and give thought to the best way to convey their message. This can easily be associated to incorporating technology into the classroom, given how changing the medium from a tweet to a YouTube vide to an e-mail can easily change the content.

Just instinctually, I feel myself drawn to teaching the way I was taught. Emphasis on the nuts and bolts and leave the invention of actual content to the back burner, which also tends to deemphasize anything that's not print writing. I'm one of those stodgy people sneering at social networking - and I haven't even stepped in front of a classroom yet! I find myself hesitant about Yancey's inspirational speech because my mental picture of a writing classroom doesn't include a lot of tweeting or video editing. However, if this is how we are composing now... It would be ridiculous to ask student to write a paper with chalk, on a typewriter, or even pen and paper. Perhaps we're now moving on to yet a different way of composing which may make the word processor obsolete. I suppose my intent meshes with Yancey in that I want to make these new mediums essential parts of the classroom, however, I am hesitant about its actual execution.