Response to Reading Assignments

7/16/07

The Only New Thing Under the Sun: 25 Years of the National Writing Project
By Sheridan Blau

The birth of the NWP marked a new beginning in the experimenting with new writing theories. Since its beginning the NWP has been a pioneer in the teachers teaching teachers model. This has worked not only during summer projects but most importantly has found a very prominent place when teachers go back to their campuses invigorated with their new found knowledge and sharing it with their peers. As a teacher I feel more confident in trying something out if I the presenter is a teacher. That's why the NWP works and has managed to stay around for so long. The NWP's approach is like a fresh breath of air blown right into your teaching.


Tolerating Intolerance: Resisting the Urge to Silence Student Opinion in the Writing Classroom By Sarah Rider

It took a lot of courage for Sarah Rider to write this article. I think that her sharing her personal experience allows me to look at myself and my own bias. It teaches me how to be more open minded. Letting William know how she felt was very honest but it only worked because she had been respectfull of his feelings as well. In a community of writers this kind of rapport can only be built if we allow our students to talk about what their believes and we don't judge or critizice them. This is how we grow as writers by understanding that we can agree to disagree and still give constructive criticism to one another.


Theory, Politics, Hope and Action By Carole Edelsky

How fortunate I am to live in a state that allows bilingual education. The politicians in charge of making this so called 'propositions' -more like impositions to me- don't even have a clue about education. Why is it that the future of our children is in the hands of people that haven't been in a classroom since they were in school? I wonder, if you have a toothache will you rather have a dentist or a cardiologist check you out? They are both doctors, right? So, if we have questions about education who should we turn to...teachers, will be the logical answer. To know that we are trying to obliterate children identities makes me angry. The children whose writing was used in the article are a perfect example why allowing children to preserve their culture is so important. Through language this children where able to express their voice. This is their life every day, why should we ask them to write something that's not natural to them, why should we expect them to grow up and be accepting and respectful of other's differences when they are not being given this opportunity. Do we want an America were we all think the same, sound the same and look the same? Or do we want to allow our children to grow up and be part of the quilt that this great nation is?