Teaching Writing: the Dilemma

Janet Sanner
Berkeley County Schools

The reasons my nightmare may become reality are myriad. Teaching writing is the most difficult work; successes are the most elusive and slow to realize; and there exists the uncomfortable need to record definite numerical grades in the blanks of a gradebook. There is the frustration and impatience inherent in allowing students to choose their own topics, to write from their own backgrounds and experiences, and to write on "real" topics that they truly care about. And, writing workshop- -how does a teacher give up control and allow students to work together in groups or in pairs to get feedback on their work, especially if that teacher is already experiencing difficulty managing a classroom of unruly seventh graders or bored, unmotivated juniors? If the teacher succeeds in setting up writing workshop, she has to deal with the agonizingly slow process of her students and the constant worry that other areas of the curriculum, especially those that will appear on standardized tests, are being neglected. Additionally, running a productive writing workshop takes an incredible amount of planning time and good organizational skills. Lastly, just conducting the workshop can be physically exhausting.

Is it any wonder then that teachers are taking shortcuts, that they are talking about teaching writing but are not really allowing students to fully experience real writing? A large number of teachers are teaching writing without ever writing for themselves, discounting the pieces they write for re- certification classes; this makes the need to allow students the time and opportunity for collaboration even less significant for that teacher.

What, then, is the answer? If this is indeed a problem, what do we do? The answer lies in communication among teachers, a support group of sorts. If teachers can bring themselves to share ideas that work, express their frustrations in ways that result in an exchange of proven counterattacks, and allow each other into their classrooms with clearly defined areas for that peer to observe and respond to, then there is hope that we can keep the reality of effective and direct instruction in writing alive and well. The teacher drop-out rate will not be so high, and students will truly receive relevant, meaningful instruction in writing.

All of the above "solutions" have one major requirement-- time. Teachers need to confer, work together, and plan together. Teachers need released time to attend relevant workshops and conferences in order to keep up with the latest research and successful practices in writing instruction. Groups of teachers from across the disciplines must work together to plan instruction that will discontinue this isolation of subject matter and will result in more meaningful, hands-on learning.

Some high schools are experimenting with the middle approach in which teachers from each discipline form a team that instructs the same students every day. These same teachers then have a common planning period so that instruction can be designed to meet the specific needs of these students. Also, teachers have an extra period so that they can confer with students directly or meet with other teachers to discuss a particular student's needs or problems.

What does this take? It requires a commitment of time, money, and hard work. Whether the effort is bottom-up, as we like to say, or top-down, these three elements must be present. Too often, teachers have given their time and put in much hard work but have not been backed up with support from the top in terms of commitment of the heart or of the budget.

Until we have this commitment, our sincere and hopeful attempts to improve instruction in writing and the language arts are doomed.