Teachers as writers
After reading Becoming Your Own expert article I can definitely say that it changed my perspective on the idea that teachers especially English teachers, should partake in the writing assignments they give their students. Warning: Spoilers ahead. Tim Gillespie describes an experiment he carried out to find out what happens to teachers who write alongside their students. He pointed out that teachers lose empathy for students who actively struggle with writing on a regular basis since they are not engaged in academic writing themselves. If you take a step back, it all makes sense. I took a step back and considered my own “college career” as a potential English teacher and concluded that the experiment’s suggested theory made sense. We spend the entirety of these years buried under papers, learning new writing styles, etc., all in preparation—at least in my case—for a career in that field where, once there, we veer off the course we spent so much time studying. Another point the article made was the value of students witnessing their teacher struggle with writing because, spoiler alert yet again, writing will ALWAYS be hard but with consistent practice on both the student’s and teacher’s parts, it may become a teaching opportunity for both parties. This straightforward realization confirmed to me the importance of teachers writing with students. Our interactions with our student writers are informed and stimulated by our thoughtful engagements with our own writing attempts. The best method for us to establish our own expertise and be able to come up with our own solutions to the challenging problems of teaching writing is through writing.
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