Essential Humor and Personality

The readings this week have been very enjoyable. Anne Lammott is a clever and inviting writer. She makes the idea and reality of being a “writer” a tangible and friendly concept. Her detailed and applicable tips are fun to read and helpful to learn from. I’m enjoying her witting, sense of humor, and personal stories. They are not only interesting but insightful on becoming a writer and/or improving your writing.

My dyad MT commented on Lammott’s work, saying she also loves her humor. She is an avid reader and her husband is a writer. From what I’m noticing, literature is a huge and intimate part of their lives. She is passionate about books; she said she often reads an entire novel every night! How wonderful! I am becoming more and more curious; books and literature are clearly an intimate part of her life, so why is there so little reading and writing support for her students? Each day I notice more and more resources for them throughout the classroom, but the curriculum is vague and they don’t have the skills or time to use them. Little time during the day is given to the students to write and almost none is given to read. I’m hoping that I’ve just missed something key and maybe they are getting more on the days I’m not there. However, by looking at their work and schedule, it is questionable. I sure do miss the “good readers” and “good writers” curriculum that I was used to during September. These students need this and could truly benefit from it.

Humor and personality rang throughout Lammott’s work, and she emphasizes the importance for us writers to use this personality in our own work. In fact I think she challenges us to. Just like Regie Routman does in her book “Writing Essentials”. This book has been an excited read for me. Bringing these teaching methods into the classroom, paired with personal writings are an effective, exciting, and helpful tool to show your students. Modeling for students shows them the tools they can use, the thinking process they should use and the expectations you have for them to produce the same work. These are all building writing skills and letting them get to know you as a person and writer you are. Or that you have to be, FOR THEM. No matter the apprehension of writing I may have, this is what they need to become good writers themselves, and hopefully better than me! (Not that that would be hard…)

I feel that my main placement MT must have studied and memorized this text because it is exactly her teaching methods and beliefs for writing. Her class would be an excellent model of this; in fact, she and the principal often offer her classroom open to teachers in the school to observe how to model this type of writing curriculum. During September I was becoming so used to this style of teaching that I had quite a shock switching teachers this October. How refreshing to read a source of her crafty teaching methods. Regie Routman also emphasizes the importance of learning and coaching for colleagues. My MT is a huge advocate for peer coaching and collaborating. Working together to learn methods and improve them is a constant part of her professional career. I’m so thankful and excited that we as Cohort 15 are learning and utilizing this as well. It must stay a part of our careers throughout the years, and I’m sure we’ll all do a wonderful job of holding each other accountable to this over time.