SCED 4200 blog 2: Affective Dimensions of Writing

No, I don't really think of myself as a writer, I never have.  I always had a hard time writing papers as a kid because I have a hard time organizing it.  I had a lot to say, just a loss of the right words and where to put them.  Pictures make sense to me.  I much prefer to express myself through a painting or a photograph than writing.  I love to paint because I can just pick up a brush and do it- no instructions, no limitations, no writing.  My hand coordinates with what my brain wants much more fluently than with writing.

I did do a little writing for fun as a child.  I wrote my own stories.  Most of them were short- if they were long I never finished them.  I also wrote faithfully in my journal for a little while.  It's the only time in my life that I've done that.  Now the format has changed, everything is digital.  I text, instagram, facebook, blog, and write for school.  Free writes are rare now-a-days unless they are correlated to school.

Sometimes I did enjoy writing in school, when there wasn't a harsh structure where I could relax and forget about grammar-things like reflections.  I like the reflections because when i have to write about something long enough, I am always surprised with the thoughts I develop.  Thoughts I don't think would have come to surface otherwise.  As mentioned in class today, writing does help us to collect our thoughts.  I also remember a particular essay that I enjoyed writing.  This being because I got to choose the artist I researched, Picasso.  Learning about this artist was very intriguing and enlightening.

Having had these experiences, I think as a teacher I will have my students write, but I won't put a lot of pressure on them to do it a certain way or in a certain format- those things were always stressful to me.  The most important thing I am looking for is brain stimulation.  I want them to write meaningful things verses the generic bs most students do just to get by.  I also know that most people like options and will try to provide options for my students.