Revising and Reflecting

Before Revision: 

In class, she exhibits a less concrete relationship with reading.  When Mr. Ginsberg assigns in-class reading, he allows students to read alone or with a partner. She usually reads stories alone and finishes work before most of her classmates.  When finished, she is usually close enough to another group of girls to start conversation. Instead of working on her individual novel like the class is required to do, she begins distracting others.  The way she approaches her individual reading shows that she considers her in-class reading as separate from her out-of-class reading.  Mr. Ginsberg usually gives guided reading sheets to go alongside the assigned text, which may prompt Deanna to consider her in-class readings, which have all been short stories so far, as work she needs to quickly complete so she can engage in other activities that may be more important to her, such as socializing with friends. To me, it seems that she considers her individual reading as something that she can take her time on and work on outside of school. Instead of reading her individual books during class time, she would rather save the reading for when she is “at home” and “get[s] bored” (D. Sanders, personal interview, September 10, 2013). 

After Revision

In class, Deanna does not show the same excitement she has for reading as when chooses her own texts outside of class.  When Mr. Ginsberg assigns in-class reading, he allows students to read alone or with a partner. Deanna usually reads the stories alone and finishes her classwork before most of the other students.  Usually when finished, she moves to another group of students and begins a conversation and even though she is finished with her work, she becomes a distraction for her peers. Students are required to read their individual novels when they are finished with their coursework, but Deanna has told me that she would rather read her novel "at home" when she "get[s] bored" (D. Sanders, personal interview, September 10, 2013). This behavior shows she considers her in-class reading as separate from her out-of-class reading, and she would rather not combine these two atmospheres.  One reason for the construction of this boundary may be the assigned worksheets that go along with the in-class readings. These worksheets give her a finish-line. When she finishes the worksheet, she can then move on to more instantly gratifying activities such as socializing with her friends. When she finishes the worksheet, she no longer wants to engage with the text.  Deanna considers in-class reading as a chore that takes up her time while she considers her individual out-of-class reading as a task she can complete at her own pace.  The classroom has a bell that signifies an end, but at home there is less rush and more room for flexibility. 

Readings Reflection: 

In the "How to Write an Outline" Blog, I really loved that the author reminded us we have to stop trying to create a certain outlining formula and start thinking about our readers.  Forgetting about the reader is truly one of my faults as a writer. My mind goes a million miles every minute. When all of the jumbled up thoughts finally land on my paper, I let out a huge sigh of relief and move on.  I might read over it and think "Yea, that makes sense to me," but I rarely ask if the reader (who has never encountered my whirlwind of a thought process) will understand. I like how the writer of First Year Comp states "The goal of academic writing is to reach a reader with your knowledge," which is really the point of all writing. We are sharers but we can't successfully share unless the reader understands what we are trying to share, so we have to keep our readers in mind while we write. I think it would personally help me to get my ideas on paper, and then break down my thought process so the readers will understand how I came to a certain conclusion. 

The only way to improve my reader-awareness is to continuing writing.  There's really no way around it.  Cindy O-Donnell-Allen in "The Best Writing Teachers Are Writers Themselves" recognizes that we  as teachers must continue to write so we will know "the writing process inside out, [so] we can support our students' work in authentic ways." I remember my favorite English teacher wrote with us everyday during journal time. She would share her journals and we would listen, amazed at her writing talent.  Even though we thought her writing was flawless , she would often tell us that what she needed to work on or that a certain piece was not her best because of x, y, and z. She delved into the writing process with us. She modeled how we should continually work to improve even when we thought there was nothing wrong. Her example inspired us and I hope to inspire my students as well, so I can help to contribute to the writing "revolution."