Teaching Messy Writing: Teaching Goals by Jess Houser

When I was in middle school, someone I love told me that I should quit writing, that I wasn’t any good. I don’t know what made me write again, but I never shared my writing with that person ever again.

I believe that every student should feel safe when sharing their work. As adults who write, we already know how difficult sharing is, so why make it any harder for a child?

I believe that every student should be encouraged to try different kinds of writing. All of my students use a writer's notebook to practice various writing genres and skills.

I believe that writing should never be a punishment or consequence. Enough students come into my class hating to write, so I don’t need to give them another reason to hate it, especially before they even get to high school.

I believe that students should have a chance to share and reflect on their writing, which is what authors do. We reflect on our writing often in class, and we have a student blog for students to share their writing with the world.

I believe that writing can be an exciting experience, and I want all students to have the chance to figure out what they love about it. I’m always surprised to see how many students love poetry after they experience it in our classroom!

I believe that writing teachers should offer as many of those exciting writing experiences as they can. One way we do that is through our Writing Club. It’s a bit small right now, but the students who come are dedicated.

I believe that writing can be a creative outlet for anyone who’s willing to try it. There’s nothing better than seeing a blank page fill up with the ideas you see in your head, and I want my students to have those moments, too!

My Goals...

I am committed to encouraging young writers to keep writing long after they leave my classroom. I want them to love writing as much as I love writing!

I am committed to finding what works. Brainstorming different ideas (sometimes free-writing) helps me clear my mind, so I hope to encourage my students to figure out what helps them.

I am committed to goal-setting. We keep writing goals in class, and we review them every grading period. The format has changed a bit since the beginning of the year, but these goals help keep us focused and writing all sorts of fun things.

I am committed to reflecting on what works, what doesn’t work, and trying again. One of the most important parts of writing is reflection. If we keep doing the same thing over and over that frustrates us, then how will we ever get better or fix our mistakes? We also need to know what works for us so we can figure out a way to improve upon these skills.

I am committed to creating writers -- writers who love to write, love to learn new writing techniques, love to share their writing, and love to challenge themselves.

Reflection

The whole point of a reflection is to look to the past in preparation for the future, and this is no different. Writing down my commitments has helped me focus in on what it truly means to be a writing teacher -- students need to know that writing isn’t only paragraph-form and standardized essays.

Students need to experience the fun part of writing, too -- the poems, the stories, the brainstorming. They need to experience the messiness of the writing process, and the joy of figuring out what works and what doesn’t.

Students need to truly experience writing, and I hope to encourage that in our classroom!

Jess Houser is a 7th grade writing teacher at Clifton Middle School in Texas. When she’s not writing or planning lessons, Jess can be found reading somewhere quiet (historical fiction is her favorite), crocheting something fun, or spending time with her family. You can connect with Jess on Twitter (@JJ_Burry) and Facebook (@JJBurryauthor or @ImmortalCrochet) or on her blog at https://jjburry.com.

Write for Us!

The #TeachWrite Twitter Chat Blog is dedicated to providing a space for our community to connect and share their voices about writing and teaching writing.  We are looking for guest bloggers for January who would like to blog on topics related to our January theme -- GOALS.  Educators and writers of all levels are invited to join us in this space. More information can be found here.