Teaching Portfolio

Classrooms, whether in-person or virtual, are places of discovery and exploration. Students should learn more than basic skills, like reading and writing. They should uncover the heart and spirit of humankind. For writers, the inner workings of people most interest them. Perhaps people are the most interesting subjects in existence, as complicated as we are. In my writing courses, students not only practice the application and process of language, they grow as critical thinkers and problem solvers, viewing language as a way to understand people and what it means to be human. 

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The practice of writing is the practice of art as well. Good writing is fine art, considered “high” art in certain instances. Once accessible only to the elite and sophisticated, now we know that reading and writing is for everyone. Rich, poor, young, old, black, white, brown, woman, man, queer, or anyone else outside of those categories. No matter how they identify, students should not be intimidated by reading. They will learn to appreciate poems, stories, journalism and criticism, to be excited about engaging with words and sentences, able to interpret and explain different meanings. Reading itself is artistic engagement, since the reader, not just the writer, is responsible for creating mental images from an authors words.

Still, without guidance, early reading and writing students make very simple yet fixable mistakes. it is essential that they get introduced to basic writing conventions before attempting to write and share their own quality work. This includes the concept of revision, the most crucial step in a writers process. Students should know that perfection within the first few drafts is nearly impossible, as it takes the greats months, even years, to develop very strong work. Patience is mandatory.