What I Learned

I learned that writing can truly be empowering if you use first thought, and first voice.  No, this is not a shout out to Orwell’s 1984 – it is just if you don’t edit your thoughts in your writing – just write what comes to mind, the results are immediate and honest.  Doing freewrites gives the power to the writer, and, in essence, the student.  I am so excited to start doing freewriting more in class, and trying to incorporate it in a way to inspire kids.  (Not with what I say, but with what THEY have to say, their words on the page).  The sense of freedom that comes from non-judgement - not worrying if something will get a bad grade - not worrying if there are misspellings, or if it is "good" - these are what I want my kids to have.  I hope I can allow them this experience, and I surely plan on giving them the opportunity to do so. 

I was stretched by this very problem – my discomfort with any complications of technology, and my frustrating inability to solve my own problems with it.  However, I am now resolved to become more familiar with “my nemesis”.  On a more academic level, I had my mind stretched by a discussion over whether fun and mastery of content were mutually exclusive.  This is a concept I have struggled with, and I am thinking I need to look into on a much deeper level.  This will be an ongoing search, perhaps my "burning question".  I struggle with the concept of control and "not" control.  I am going to do more fun writing in school this year, and sharing, too.

I am beginning to realize that letting go is scary, but the journey it takes you on can be one of the most exciting.  “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is a good rule of thumb, and it also results in really great writing that is way better reading than a stuffy formal essay.  Don’t get me wrong – I still believe in the necessity of properly cited quotes that support a thesis and are thoroughly analyzed, but I also remember the joy of unbridaled creativity – where thoughts and words flow across the page like a river.  College writing requires content mastery, but the road to mastery is paved with good freewriting!