My First Venture Into Contract Grading

First, I must give credit to both Cathy Davidson and Dave Cormier who were kind enough to openly share their grading contracts to support other educators attempting this for the first time. I definitely borrowed heavily from their example.

The class with which I am conducting my first foray into contract grading is an online version of a National Writing Project Summer Institute. The class is organized as an asynchronous graduate class with the option to take the class for six hours rather than three. The focus of the class, as of all NWP work, is to improve the teaching of writing. We will write, on personal and professional topics, and we will discuss and share our ideas about the teaching of writing. My colleague Lee Skallerup will join us as she wants to learn more about NWP work.

I remain intrigued by the idea of using contract grading for my more traditional classes, as I want all my classes to be a learning community rather than a traditional class. However, the very nature of an NWP SI is to be a learning community and years of experience participating in more traditional SI’s has prepared me to make this class my first foray into contract grading. As my students are teachers (or soon to be teachers) then I hope they will enter into our experiment with the proper spirit. I know this is going to be a great learning experience for me and hopefully for them.

I am interested by the increased opportunity for student success offered by contract grading and I am even more interested about the ways I can use contract grading and peer evaluation to foster self-regulation and self-directed learning in the way that Cathy Davidson argues for flipping or rather cartwheeling our classrooms. I will write more about this experiment/experience in the coming weeks but for now I will simply share my first grading contract and await feedback:

Contract Grading + Peer Evaluation:  Explanation and Contract

This class is an experiment in collective thinking, leadership, and project management.  The intent is to create a workshop (as opposed to classroom) experience where we explore, learn, and grow together while providing a safe place to experiment with our writing, thinking, and teaching as each student takes responsibility for individual and collective work. I want this to be a student-centered experience where you choose what your learning experience will be like, and make it fit your context and priorities.

Contract Grading is designed to change the power dynamic of the classroom. The instructor is still the ‘content expert’, but you are the one who knows how much time you have to devote to this course, and what you’d ideally like to get out of it. The contract lays out what ‘acceptable success’ looks like and then you get to make choices about whether you are willing to do the work to earn a grade deemed ‘excellent’. The contract focuses on your effort rather than on attempting to measure or quantify your learning. The peer evaluation provides support for your efforts in this class as well as helping you develop the necessary self-regulation to continue your growth and development after the class ends. This course aims for encouraging self-valued, lifelong learning.

This is my first time engaging in contract learning as an instructor, so there is a learning curve for me as well as well as for you, but if we work together I believe this can be a positive experience for us all.

Evaluation Method:
You determine your grade for this course by fulfilling a contract that spells out in advance the requirements for fulfilling the terms of your contract.   Peer evaluation comes in when students charged with leading for the week assess (Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory) how well their classmates fulfill their obligations to the class through reflection, discussion, and feedback. Peer leaders will work with the other students in the class, giving feedback to each student and working to achieve an S grade.   If the student fails to submit an assignment or does not submit a satisfactory revision after being given careful feedback, the peer leader will record a U grade for that assignment.   (The same method will work on assignments graded by the professor.) Every student will be in a position of peer-grader (working with two or three students at a time) one week during this class and will report these evaluations using a document viewable by the entire class.  Learning together and giving and receiving feedback is a subject we will discuss and practice.

Contract Grading:
The advantage of contract grading is that you, the student, decide how much work you wish to do; if you complete that work on time and satisfactorily, you will receive the grade for which you contracted.  This means planning ahead, thinking about all of your other obligations and responsibilities and also determining what grade you want or need in this course.   The advantage of contract grading to the professor is no whining, no special pleading, on the students’ part. If you complete the work you contracted for, you get the grade. Done. I respect the student who only needs a C, who has other obligations that preclude doing all of the requirements to earn an A in the course, and who contracts for the C and carries out the contract perfectly.   (This is a major life skill:  taking responsibility for your own workflow.)

Grade Calculating:
By June 5 (our second day of class), each student will email the instructor the contract (see below) for their chosen grade (or grades, contract for Eng 609 follows the contract for 608).  All requirements for each grade are spelled out below. 

There are only two grades for any assignment.  Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.   Satisfactory is full credit.  Unsatisfactory (poor quality, late, or not submitted) is no credit.   At the end of the course, we tally.   If you fail to do a contracted assignment or your peers do not deem your work satisfactory, you will not receive credit for that assignment.  

Peer leaders (details below) who are in charge for a week will determine if the assignments posted during that week are satisfactory.  If not, they will give extensive and thoughtful feedback for improvement with the aim of collaborating toward Satisfactory work.   The goal is for everyone to produce satisfactory work, and the peer leaders will work with students to achieve that goal. 


REQUIREMENTS FOR A GRADE OF A in ENG 608:
(1) READING AND DISCUSSION, includes reading instructor lecture notes and required reading (book chapters, articles, etc.) as well as posting a substantive reflective response (by Thursday) which reflects your individual experience as well as the reading and making at least two responses to peer posts (by Sunday). Discussion will take place on a designated Google doc in the Reading and Discussion folder. Think of this as a collaborative research paper we are creating about the weekly topic. These can, and should, be inspired by and draw from your individual reflection journals but should not be simple repetition. They should engage your classmates and inspire discussion.

(2) WEEKLY REFLECTION JOURNAL POST, 500-1000 words about your views as a writer as well as a teacher in response to the class reading and discussion as well as writing group activities for the week.  Think of this as an evolving research paper.  It has the same importance and weight and seriousness.   You will create your journal as a Google doc in the Reflection Journal folder and share it with the instructor and class (simply adding a new post each week).   You will receive public feedback and responses from the instructor, any of the other students, and the two or three students leading and assessing that week.  Journal posts must be completed by Sunday night but the work should be ongoing throughout the week (with additions/changes after engaging in various class activities). All students are required to read their classmates journals and are encouraged to comment.   Journal posts may simply be reflections on yourself, your work, or your instructor’s or fellow learners’ ideas, but they should always be substantive, should use secondary sources where appropriate, and can use video, sound, images, animation as well as text.  They are intended to share your learning and make contributions to the field as well as give you the opportunity to wonder, question, challenge what you have learned and what you want to learn as a writer and teacher.

(3) LITERACY NARRATIVE, 500-1000 words (polished personal narrative) about your growth and development as a literate person including details that shaped the reader and writer you are today. Discuss specific events and people who had a powerful influence as well as your views about yourself as a literate person. You will create your literacy narrative as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder and share it with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates literacy narratives and are encouraged to comment.   

(4) CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES

1. Starts, share at least six early drafts with class via the appropriate Writing Workshop folder in Google docs. These should be the result of a simple free write response to a prompt or an idea of your own. These should not be the result of a great deal of time (probably less than an hour). The intent is for you to get in the habit of writing to build your writing muscles. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates writing prompt responses. You are encouraged to comment but keep these comments positive and encouraging as this work is very preliminary (ie. I would love to see you continue with this piece, your writing made me laugh, cry, etc.). Do let people know if a particular image, phrase, etc. is intriguing or ask questions (but what happened to the baby bluebird?). 
2. Drafts, continue to work on at least two selected early drafts (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress, simply drag it to the appropriate Writing Workshop folder). These do not need to be final, polished drafts when you first share them but they should be complete (even if some sections might be a bit thin). The intent is for you to have something that can be used in writing workshop to start/continue a conversation about writing. On the designated Google doc indicate your particular worries, struggles, and/or concerns for your drafts. Ask for feedback but give your peers some guidelines so it is more meaningful and helpful. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates drafts and responding to their requests. Your feedback should not focus on surface-level issues (grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) but deeper writing issues. What is your response to this piece (emotionally, intellectually)? Provide the feedback your peers request but also put some serious thought into the strengths and weaknesses of the piece – help the writer play to their strengths! Give them advice that will help them develop, improve, and finally polish this piece. Learning to evaluate writing is key to becoming a good writer. 
3. Polished, experienced writers will tell you that no piece of writing is ever “done” but your goal here is to bring at least one piece of writing to a polished, complete form that you can proudly share/publish. Repeat the draft process (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress, simply drag it to the appropriate Writing Workshop folder) with one selected piece as necessary to move it toward that polished final draft.

(5)  PROPOSAL, one-page description of an article you could submit to a professional journal relevant to your current/future teaching position. The proposed topic should have clear relevance and connection to teaching writing in your current/future teaching position. Select a journal which could publish such a piece and base your documentation style on that journal’s editorial guidelines. You will create your proposal as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder and share it with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates proposals and are encouraged to comment.   

(6)  ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, working document that includes at least six credible and focused peer-reviewed journal articles (including at least two from your target publication) on the subject of your article. You can include class-assigned reading on your list but these cannot count for any of your six. You will create your annotated bibliography as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder and share it with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates annotated bibliographies and are encouraged to comment. In addition, you are encouraged to share sources. If your own research includes a source that might be of interest to a classmate share it!   

(7) ARTICLE, 10-12 page article (based on approved proposal) about the teaching of writing. You will share your article as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates articles and are encouraged to comment.   

(8) PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING WRITING, 3-5 page paper (plus a reference page) in which you reflect on the critical issues (in your opinion) concerning the teaching of writing in your current/future teaching position. You will share your philosophy as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates philosophy statement and are encouraged to comment.   

(9) PEER LEADER, will act as peer leader with one or two additional students to monitor student engagement in required activities. You will be responsible for reading all contributions to the class discussion, weekly reflection journals, and writing workshop for that week and offering substantive feedback for each student then filing an S or U grade with the instructor using the Peer Leader Evaluation document. If a student receives a U in one or more of these areas then it is your responsibility to offer constructive feedback and an opportunity for the student to turn that into a Satisfactory piece of work.

CONTRACT:   By agreeing to this contract for an A in English 608, I agree to all of the terms above (satisfactory completion of #1-9).   
 

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF B IN ENGLISH 608
I wish to earn a grade of B in English 608.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of B, I will complete satisfactorily #1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 above.
  

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF C IN ENGLISH 608
I wish to earn a grade of C in English 608.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of C, I will complete satisfactorily #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 9 above.  

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REQUIREMENTS FOR A GRADE OF A in ENG 609:
(1) READING AND DISCUSSION REPORT I, teams of two or more will prepare and share an overview and summary of the key points culled from our weekly reading and discussion as well as reflection journals. The intent is to create a public document (can be written as an article or blog post but could also use some sort of digital presentation tool such as Wiki, Squidoo, Prezi) that contributes to the knowledge of our field and then shared with a broader audience. What was the prevailing theme/central idea of our work for that week and what did we learn about it? These reports are intended to be an Open Educational Resource for the Morehead Writing Project and the National Writing Project and will be Tweeted using hashtags #ENG608 #MWPSI #NWP to connect with those audiences.

(2) READING AND DISCUSSION REPORT II, teams of two or more will prepare and share an overview and summary of the key points culled from our weekly reading and discussion as well as reflection journals. The intent is to create a public document (can be written as an article or blog post but could also use some sort of digital presentation tool such as Wiki, Squidoo, Prezi) that contributes to the knowledge of our field and then shared with a broader audience. What was the prevailing theme/central idea of our work for that week and what did we learn about it? These reports are intended to be an Open Educational Resource for the Morehead Writing Project and the National Writing Project and will be Tweeted using hashtags #ENG608 #MWPSI #NWP to connect with those audiences.

(3) CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES

1. Starts, share at least six early drafts (in addition to those created for 608) with class via Google docs by attaching to designated page. These should be the result of a simple free write response to a prompt or an idea of your own. These should not be the result of a great deal of time (probably less than an hour). The intent is for you to get in the habit of writing to build your writing muscles. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates writing prompt responses. You are encouraged to comment but keep these comments positive and encouraging as this work is very preliminary (ie. I would love to see you continue with this piece, your writing made me laugh, cry, etc.). Do let people know if a particular image, phrase, etc. is intriguing or ask questions (but what happened to the baby bluebird?).
2. Drafts, continue to work on at least two selected early drafts (in addition to those created for 608) (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress). These do not need to be final, polished drafts but they should be complete (even if some sections might be a bit thin). The intent is for you to have something that can be used in writing workshop to start/continue a conversation about writing. On the designated Google doc indicate your particular worries, struggles, and/or concerns for your drafts. Ask for feedback but give your peers some guidelines so it is more meaningful and helpful. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates drafts and responding to their requests. Your feedback should not focus on surface-level issues (grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) but deeper writing issues. What is your response to this piece (emotionally, intellectually)? Provide the feedback your peers request but also put some serious thought into the strengths and weaknesses of the piece – help the writer play to their strengths! Give them advice that will help them develop, improve, and finally polish this piece.
3. Polished, experienced writers will tell you that no piece of writing is ever “done” but your goal here is to bring at least one piece of writing to a polished, complete form that you can proudly share/publish. Repeat the draft process (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress) with one selected piece (in addition to the one created for 608) as necessary to move it toward that polished final draft.     

(4)  ARTICLE, 20-24 page article (including page count for 608) about the teaching of writing. You will share your article in Google docs with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates articles and are encouraged to comment.   

CONTRACT:   By agreeing to this contract for an A in English 609, I agree to all of the terms above (satisfactory completion of #1-4).   
 

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF B IN ENGLISH 609
I wish to earn a grade of B in English 609.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of B, I will complete satisfactorily #1, 2, and 4 above.
  

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF C IN ENGLISH 609
I wish to earn a grade of C in English 609.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of C, I will complete satisfactorily #1 and 2 above.  
 

5 Tips For Rising From The Ashes

I recently read Andrew Miller’s “5 Tips to Avoid Teacher Burnout” and although it was targeted at new teachers it struck a chord with me. In fact, I’m still vibrating days later. This was the worst academic year of my life and that includes a year of graduate school during which I took double course work while juggling my dual role of instructor and administrator as well as trying to maintain some sort of family life. That year and the one during which I completed my dissertation were nothing compared to this despite the fact that both of those years involved personal and family crises.

So what made this year so devastating? Overwork and overextension sandwiched between underpaid and underappreciated. I put myself out there in a number of ways and reaped little to no return for my investment of time, energy, and emotion. Then, at the end of the semester when I thought I had reached rock bottom and I was exhausted and used up, I suffered a health crisis which just goes to show you that things can always be worse. That certainly shocked my optimistic little soul.

So what do I do now? What can I do now? I’ve taken steps to relieve my burdens in the short-term to protect my health and sanity, but what happens when I return to full-time work in August and the same institutional conditions exist? How do I prevent myself from backsliding especially when there are so many willing to give me a push back in that direction? I have come up with five strategies that I hope will make next year an improvement as well as help others from falling victim to this level of crash and burn.

Take Stock

Teachers are busy people. Administrators are busy people. People who do both are crazy busy. There is always more that needs doing than can be done and there are always people placing demands (both reasonable and unreasonable) on your time. There are always days when I am incredibly busy and yet have nothing to show for it. My solution is to take stock – make a list of what needs to be done and then truly evaluate what needs to be done “now” and what needs to be done now by me. I have to take control of my “To Do” list and not let it control me.

Set Your Own Goals

The institutions that govern/employ teachers and administrators set a number (growing exponentially every year) of goals for them. This can lead to frustration and helplessness not to mention anger and depression. But goals are important motivators. They get us up in the morning and push us forward through adversity. The key is to set goals for areas of your work and life that you can control and that have meaning to you. Make it something reasonable and possible (don’t add more stress to your life) but also something that will make you feel better professionally or personally. Set goals that will help you get through your current work day but also can contribute to a better tomorrow. Yes, you spent most of the day in soul-sucking meetings but you also accomplished X (or at least a step toward that goal).

Hope and Dream

Allow yourself hopes and dreams. While your goals are concrete and actionable, your hopes and dreams are more intangible. If your current job and/or life is not what you want (hence the crash and burn?) then allow yourself to dream about the possibilities for a better future. Recognize that tomorrow does not have to be like today and that you have the power to change your circumstances and your life. I believe strongly in the power of hopes and dreams to not only get us through the challenges of the day but to inspire the future. Dreams lead to goals which lead to change.

Put Yourself First

This is going to be my mantra for next year. Perhaps I need to tattoo it somewhere. I think this is a particular challenge for educators as we tend to be nurturers and givers. We are particularly programmed to say “yes” even when we know we shouldn’t. But the simple fact is that no one else is going to put your goals, dreams, or health first. Other people have their own agenda. Students, coworkers, and institutions will always put their own needs and goals first. Fight against the guilt with whatever weapons you have at hand and remind yourself that you will definitely fail your constituencies if your health and/or sanity breaks down. Sometimes taking time to selfishly do something for yourself is actually serving others. Plan for it, schedule for it, put it on your list and then guard it zealously.

Play and Relax

This has been extremely difficult for me. I do not know how to avoid email and other communication devices. As an academic and a writer I constantly surround myself with books and writing tools. I have to learn to turn off and tune out at the end of the day and at the end of the week. I have to learn to throw myself wholeheartedly into vacations. I need to reconnect with family, friends, and hobbies.

So that is my plan to reclaim my life and my sanity and my health. I am officially putting my institutions on notice. I will continue to do my jobs to the best of my ability but your goals, dreams, and health are no longer my concern. I will no longer allow my goals, dreams, and health to be sacrificed for your gain.

Writing Studio & Breaking Boundaries

I am creating a writing studio as part of the work of my National Writing Project site at Morehead State University and I am very excited about this work and its potential for impacting both the teaching and learning of writing at MSU on many levels.

Why a writing studio and not a writing center or writing lab? Studios have a long tradition as a place for artists or musicians to work. A studio is a place of creation and collaboration and synergy. I want to create a program that fosters the kind of discussion and energy and growth you might see in a studio.

A writing studio focuses on the writer and not the writing by providing a cognitive apprenticeship in a community of practice (see Lerner’s The Idea of a Writing Laboratory) where learning takes place through guided practice. The guidance takes the form of group discussion focused on cognitive and metacognitive issues rather than physical skills and process. The idea is that through observation, coaching, and independent practice, students develop as successful learners and acquire the reflective and self-regulating tools required to be a successful writer.

In Teaching/Writing in Thirdspaces, Grego and Thompson describe a writing studio as a reflective space where writers communicate about generating and developing ideas as well as refine approaches, processes, and attitudes about writing. Greg and Thompson point out this is generative learning that builds understanding through work and experience. Sessions are focused on the production of student work and the processes student engage in to produce it.

Too often the teaching of writing is a closed system that focuses on errors and students ignorance of rules and conventions, but a studio allows us to explore together the rhetorical situation. As Greg and Thompson note: studio presents a different way of “being” with student writers and this different way of being excited me as a teacher and as a teacher of teachers. While this type of cooperative inquiry is reminiscent of Elbow’s work and the way that I teach writing myself, it takes the writing workshop and peer review approaches used by many (including myself) to another level that I believe can plan in important role in the development of metarhetorical awareness. I am interested in the idea of focusing discussion not just on student writing but instead using it as the rhetorical context.

As I study and research in preparation for embarking on this project in August, I am excited by the potential for MSU and the Morehead Writing Project as well as how this work will impact me as a teacher of writing. However, I am still struggling with the implications of this work for me as a technical communicator and taking the writing studio model far beyond the basic writing and composition classrooms that are its traditional home. Grego and Thompson describe the writing studio as a place to explore and negotiate the institutional spaces/places that influence our lives and our writing and as a rhetorician this is something we should continue to address as communications professionals. I expect I will be writing a lot more about this in the weeks to come but I would really appreciate others’ thoughts on the implications of writing studio for technical communication students and professionals.

Can I use learning contracts to escape grading jail? Stay tuned!

I admit I have always been intrigued by the idea of a grading contract. Some of it is part of my ongoing desire to help my students become self-regulating and independent learners, but there is also that seductive notion of using grading contracts to avoid “grading jail” as Ryan Cordell suggests.

However, the time has never seemed right for a number of personal and professional reasons, but I now believe the time is right – the stars are in alignment – for me to venture into this pool. Fortunately for me, there are wealth of resources and advice and examples available for me to follow. I love teaching in this day and age.

Profhacker’s Billie Hara writes about Using Grading Contracts and raises some of my own concerns and questions about their use that I possess. I was then and remain skeptical about their use with a first-year writing class. How many of my students actually possess the self-discipline and self-knowledge that such a system requires?

However, I continually struggle with organizing and grading two specific assignments in my first-year writing classes – class reading and discussion and writing workshop. I value both assignments for what we learn and discover as a class about our class content as well as ourselves, but participation is always uneven no matter how I enforce or structure it and grading and keeping track of participation is always a huge time suck. Both are collaborative assignments, which is part of the problem, and for both assignments I want students to focus more on exploration and learning and process than on perfection, which is also a challenge. While I was mulling over possibilities for yet another assignment revision. Dave Cormier blogged about Avoiding Resistance to Grading Contracts and I began to consider the possibility that a grading contract might be the solution I was seeking. I am still wary of using a grading contract for the course, but I think using grading contracts for specific assignments, such as these collaborative endeavors, might shift the focus off the process and the burden and responsibility from me to the student. I’ve got some time to mull this before I dive into course planning for the fall but I am excited about the possibilities. Jeffrey McClurken writes about using Student Contracts for Digital Projects and that is an approach that I could certainly adapt for my Professional Writing class in which students develop a large project over the course of the semester.

Even as I dismissed the notion of using a grading contract for my first-year writing students, I realized that grading contracts might work very well for my upper level and graduate classes. This is especially true as my graduate students are all teachers as are the majority of my upper level students (OK, pre-service teachers for the latter). Once I realized that we could use the contracts not just to solve my problems but also as teachable moments within the class my imagination was caught. Cathy Davidson explains how she uses Contract Grading and Peer Review for her digital literacies class. Dave Cormier also shared his early version of his learning contract.

I am very excited about the opportunity to lessen my grading burden but also to shift my focus to learning rather than assessment which is where I want it to be. Under a more traditional model there always comes a point when you have to focus on assessment and it often seems to undermine the confidence and perceived success of some students. Of course, this is how I feel now, at the first-date stage, when anything seems possible. We’ll see how I feel after we’ve had our first disagreement and I run this plan by my students.

Teaching Drafting or Drafting Teaching

This is always the point in the semester when I curse my decision to teach writing – and especially to teach the writing process. I don’t so much teach the writing process as a lesson, but as an experience and that is the problem. For all of our lofty classroom conversations about ideas, audience, and structure and all the brainstorming, journaling and reflection we do, there always comes that moment of truth when students submit a draft of their paper or project to the class workshop.  And now, I am forced, against my will, to give them advice that hopefully will make their next draft better. It is a lot of work. It is time consuming. It is life draining. What is especially depressing is that for all the hours I spend passing along this advice only a fraction of the advice will be taken and often that fraction will consist almost exclusively of surface errors and easy fixes (“reword this sentence” will be acted on while “rethink your organization” will be ignored).

Why are students so resistant to drafting?

Of course, not all of them are. This is also the point in the semester when I receive a lot of feedback about my successes and failures as a teacher in the form of both anonymous class evaluations and through students’ final reflections about what they have learned and how they have grown. In both of these, students’ reactions to this process of learning to draft and revise tend to the extreme, if opposite, ends of the spectrum.

Some students continue to resist and protest against “meaningless work” and “writing the same paper over and over” while others celebrate breaking the habit of “writing the night before an assignment is due” and “learning to be a writer.” I am thrilled to read that some students “finally understand what it means to be a writer” and are confident that they are “on their way.” But then there are the others…

They do not want to think about their writing and do not want to invest anything (certainly not much time let alone blood, sweat, or tears) in their writing. They have been taught a formula to write during their K-12 education and do not understand why I can’t give them a simple formula for college writing as well. Or worse, they have mastered that K-12 formula which has served them well on standardized tests (which is, after all, why so much K-12 writing focuses on this formula) and so when I question that formula or fail to grade a formulaic essay with anything less than an “A” then it is because I am a #@$%&.

I love drafting. Learning about drafting changed my life (and not just my writing life – it made me a writer which made my professional life possible). Even now, warning nerd sighting ahead, just the simple act of reading the definitions for draft supplied by Merriam-Webster makes me smile. The first definition “the act of drawing a net” is actually a wonderful description of the way I begin writing. My first drafts almost always involve casting a wide net as I long ago mastered the art of the “Shitty First Draft” advocated by Anne Lamott. I could actually write a whole blog post just about the definitions of draft and maybe I will on another day, but the point is that I am an enthusiastic drafter and sell it with evangelic zeal as well as build it into the structure of all my classes, but not all my students are buying.

I think some of the problem is that until you have really seen what a difference it makes in your writing then drafting just seems like a lot of unnecessary work – and even more work if you are involved in a workshop or feedback loop of some kind. This is when I try to explain to my students that drafting may appear to be more work, but it really isn’t because drafting is actually a lot more efficient and productive work. In racing, cycling and motorsports, drafting or slipstreaming is well-known to reduce the expenditure of energy and I believe there is a similar effect involved in writing drafts. Unfortunately, no photographers have captured cool visuals to demonstrate this effect.

Paula Krebs writes in “Next Time, Fail Better” that humanities students need to learn how to learn from failure, but I believe this is something we can all learn to do better. How can I teach my students to think about failure in a more positive way? How can I teach my students to learn from their mistakes? How can I teach them to understand that some failure is expected along the way? How can I teach them that there is not only no such thing as the perfect first draft but typically the final draft is far from perfect as well. I don’t know yet, but I have some ideas I want to try. As Krebs also writes, teaching is all about learning from failure. Every semester is a fresh draft of classes and lessons we have taught before as well as some shitty first drafts. I know that I am far from that finished, polished product (or teacher) I dream of becoming. But the good news is that my next draft is due in only a few weeks.

A heartfelt thanks to the teachers of Mapleton Elementary

This is an open letter for Teacher Appreciation Week to the teachers of Mapleton Elementary School, especially Lauren High, Sue Litzinger, and Bo Miller:

As my son Noah nears the end of his tenure at Mapleton Elementary, I want to offer you my heartfelt thanks. He has had a very successful elementary career and that is due to the many wonderful teachers who have worked with him including Jane Lowry, Glenna Whitaker, Charity Holley, Toni Constable, and Marlowe Steger as well as so many others I’m afraid to begin naming for fear I will leave someone out.

This academic year has been marked by the many upheavals that have faced our school district. I appreciate your outstanding efforts to rise above these challenges and to always put your students first. Teaching is never an easy job, but I know this has been a very difficult year to be a teacher in this school district and especially at Mapleton Elementary. However, you have risen above these difficulties to perform with grace under extreme pressure.

Many administrative decisions made this year have led parents to question if anyone on the school board or involved in district administration is thinking about the good of our children. The constant program changes appear designed to undermine any potential for student success. Similarly, there has been much administrative posturing which has called into question the dedication and professionalism of Montgomery County teachers. However, the one beacon of light in Montgomery County Schools throughout this year of upheaval has been the teachers. They have consistently persevered through increasingly difficult working conditions to teach and to serve.

I am so thankful that Noah landed in Lauren High’s class this year. Despite numerous roadblocks and increasingly adverse teaching conditions, she met each new challenge and found ways to re-engage students bewildered by the losses and changes. She consistently presented an upbeat and positive face for her students and their parents while working long hours to redesign curriculum and create lessons to address changing circumstances. When the fifth-grade program was drastically revamped in January, Noah transformed from a child who enjoyed school to one who dreaded it. However, Mrs. High successfully brought her class through the transition to conclude the year on a high note. I only hope the administration appreciates her talent and effort.

I also want to express my thanks to Sue Litziner and Bo Miller who both inspired Noah to learn more and be more. While we still mourn the loss of their classes, I know that the impact they had on Noah’s drive to learn, question, and respond to challenges will help him learn and grow for decades to come. The critical thinking and investigative skills they taught him are far more important lessons than any amount of test preparation. They are both talented and inspirational teachers who have had a tremendous impact on Noah as well as countless other students.

Last, but not least, Academic Team coaches Sue Litzinger, Breanne Harmon, Catherine Rush, and Joy Larrison devoted so much time and energy to helping their teams grow as people as well as students and competitors. Noah’s time working with Sue Litzinger and Breanne Harmon was always a high point of his week.

It is very comforting to me that in a district led by “educators” more focused on self-promotion and personal agendas we still have teachers focused on their students and their teaching.

Thank you again for all that you do in such trying times,

Deanna Mascle, Mapleton parent

What is your philosophy of teaching writing?

Even though the semester has not officially ended here at Morehead State University, I am momentarily caught up with grading. Apparently all my students are either eager beavers (turning in things ahead of the due date) or slackers (expletives deleted). While awaiting the grading tsunami headed my way I have decided to work on my summer syllabi (and classes don’t even start until June 4!). This summer I am scheduled to teach an online version of our Morehead Writing Project Summer Institute – while simultaneously attending/leading our on-campus version. This could either be really cool or my head might explode. Stay tuned.

However, planning my month-long journey with both sets of teachers has me thinking about my philosophy of teaching writing. That is, of course, the bottom-line point of the Summer Institute. Our goal is to improve the teaching of writing. We do this, first and foremost, by helping teachers become writers themselves. Teachers who write are better teachers of writing. But what else do we do at the Summer Institute?

We strive to make teachers reflective practitioners. We want teachers to think about, write about, and talk about what they teach and how they teach, but most important of all – why they teach. I don’t mean shaping the minds and future of little (and not-so-little) humans, but specifically why we teach the way we teach and why we teach what we teach as well as how we can do it better. Good teachers are never finished products. Good teachers are always a work-in-progress.

The teacher as writer part is easy. We are working with a great book, Writing Alone And With Others by Pat Schneider, and I have a lot of experience teaching writing and working with NWP to fall back on. However, I am still struggling a bit with the big topics I want to cover. Just as I am a work-in-progress teacher, I find that my philosophy of teaching writing is a work-in-progress. My goals for my writing students clearly reflect my philosophy. My goals for my first-year writing students this semester were:

1.       Develop as reflective and self-regulating writer

2.       Increase understanding of community and collaboration

However, those goals reflect my lifetime experience as a writer working with other writers, more than a decade experience teaching writing, and three graduate degrees in English/Rhetoric. But how do I, in just four short weeks, help the teachers I’m working develop their own philosophy of the teaching of writing? A few will have had some undergraduate or graduate work in the field of composition and rhetoric and/or theories of teaching writing, but most will have had minimal exposure at best.

I do not want to attempt some sort of crash course covering the theories of teaching writing and a history of composition and rhetoric (that way madness lies) but I do want to bring in some reading as well as my own musings to inspire reflection, writing, and discussion on some key topics. I hope my experienced friends will share what they believe those key topics to be!

I know I want to begin with an exploration of what it means to be a writer and how one becomes a writer. As we will be using Schneider’s book and writing groups then we will have discussion about writing workshop, feedback loops, and so on. However, I need to decide within the next few weeks what other big picture ideas I want to bring to the table. Then, of course, I will need to sort out how much of that I will share through readings and how much through my own words so if you have suggestions for articles that I absolutely must include please let me know.