In elementary school, I remember writing “books” in first grade. We wrote them for each unit of writing, narrative, biography, autobiography, informative, opinion, etc. We wrote them using sheets of paper that had boxes for drawing pictures and lines underneath each box to write what the picture was describing in our story. After we finished our books, our teacher bound the pages together and we created a cover and back page for them. After they were all done, we had a celebration in class and would read our peers books and give them positive feedback.

A process I remember doing in third grade as a prewriting strategy was mapping/webbing topics. In the middle there was a large bubble with the main topic we were writing about. Descending from the larger bubble were smaller bubbles that had details about the topic we were writing about. This helped me brainstorm and keep my ideas organized.

I remember my teachers taught us that in every story, there must be a beginning, middle, and end. I also learned that writing stories was just as important as reading them because then we could communicate and share ideas with others. My third grade teacher was very passionate about writing and made a point of sharing her love for writing with us. This made me and my classmates very excited to share our work with her because she was always so encouraging. She emphasized that in writing there were not any wrong answers and that any idea could be a good idea. This made me more confident in my writing abilities.

When I was learning to write in elementary school, I recall most of my teachers modeling writing as a whole-class activity. My teachers would use the large notebooks of paper on an easel to model writing and drawing pictures. She sat in the front of the rug with all of us seated on the rug and we brainstormed ideas and raised hands to add to the example she showed us. I also recall other teachers using a projector and modeling for us while we sat in our desks and copied her example down so we had something to refer to.

Topics for writing in elementary school were pretty open, we could write about almost anything as long as it fit into the style of writing we were practicing. I always chose things that were personal to me to write about because I found that was easiest for me, and when I had the most ideas. I wrote mainly for my teachers approval and did not enjoy writing until later in school. I never struggled in writing, but I didn’t become a strong writer until middle and high school. I always benefited from planning out what I was going to write before actually writing about my topic. Teachers’ provided students with planners that broke the structure of the writing down and left blanks for us to fill in.

I feel that when I write about my writing memories my language I use is mostly positive and makes it sound like I had a positive experience writing in elementary school. I talk a lot about my teacher’s passion for writing which contributed to me liking writing in school.

After looking into memories I have of being taught writing and learning what I have in this course, I have taken note of strategies my own teachers used, as well as strategies I have read about. I really enjoy the Anderson article we read and the type of questions he advises to ask students during conferring. I know that I will definitely make a point to conference with my students during writing by walking around to each of their desks and working with them where they feel comfortable. I also like the idea of having students make heart maps and lists in the beginning of the year that they can refer to later in the year when they need inspiration for their writing. I also believe that it is important to start writing blocks with a mini-lesson with all students where the teacher models and uses student ideas to write together as a class.

In my life, not everything has to be my version of perfect.

Mermaids are real, (90% of the ocean is undiscovered!)

Everyone has potential!

When I was an elementary student, the only time I can really vividly picture writing is in first and third grade. In first grade, I remember learning about the different types of writing like, narratives, informative writing, etc. I also recall writing to a friend when it was their birthday and my teacher gathered our papers and made a book for the student who’s birthday it was. In this piece of writing we were to write to the student about something that makes them special or unique because it was their special day. My teacher would write sentence starters on the board for us after we brainstormed some as a class. Some of the sentences looked like, “Madeline is special because_____” and we would finish the sentence with something we came up with ourselves. My teacher did this for spelling purposes. In third grade, I can remember writing almost everyday of the week in school, and I remember that my teacher always emphasized how much she loved writing so it is really glued in my brain. On one specific instance, my teacher allowed us to write an informative piece on any topic we wanted. I chose to write about polar bears and how they were becoming extinct. During writing, my teacher had a line of students behind her desk and she would meet and discuss with each of us and tell us what needed to be worked on and helped us with spelling.

I wrote because my teachers really engraved into my classmates and I the importance of writing, but they found ways to make it engaging and give us the freedom to write about things we enjoyed. When given this opportunity, I was more motivated to write and found myself getting stuck less.

I always enjoyed writing in school, but not enough to write outside of school or when I was not instructed to do so. Writing was subject that I found to be pleasurable compared to other subjects in school because I found it to be more open ended and less product based.

Something that I found helpful in writing was when my teacher modeled what our writing could look like on the projector screen. She did a mini lesson where we formulated a story of some sort as a class and all collaborated while she lead the discussion and put our ideas together. This gave us a clear example of what we were expected to do, while providing us with the freedom to choose a topic as long as it was written in that particular style.

How do you define writing? I define writing as, the formulation of words and language to communicate and create an intended effect or message. Writing can be used to inform, persuade, communicate, question, and answer. Writing is an essential skill that is necessary to become educated, and exercise education. It is also essential in conveying a message or connecting with others.

What do you see as the teacher’s role in children learning to write? I think, as a teacher that is teaching children to write, it is important that the teacher acts as a facilitator to students, but also provides guidance as needed. To me this means that the teacher does not explicitly provide answers to students and leaves room for open-ended growth. The teacher can allow students freedom in their writing while still providing them with expectations and skills they need to be successful in their writing.

What else do you think is important in children learning to write? I think a very important element in children learning to write is freedom to write about what they enjoy, but with structure to what their writing implemented. I do not think teachers should tell students whether their writing is wrong or right, I think they should pull out the good ideas and content the student had, and re-direct them. I believe an important thing for teachers to do is focus on the students process of writing, rather than the product. Many teachers are target-focused due to expectations in their curriculum, but I think there are ways to go about writing, and other subjects that still allow for children to reach a goal in their own way.

A social issue in today’s world that I am passionate about is women’s right to education. In many countries, particularly the Middle East, women are highly oppressed and do not receive an education or even learn how to read. I believe that everyone, no matter race, gender, age, etc., deserves an education in order to make this world a better place.

A cultural issue present in today’s society that I care about is racism. Although the world has come a long way from its history, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, particularly in the United States. People of all races should be looked at as equal and treated as such. Unfortunately, many people in our country still possess racist ideals.

I am a cat lover! I prefer their quiet nature as opposed to dogs, but I love dogs as well. I am grossly obsessed with reality TV (any of the housewives shows on Bravo), and a compassionate and reliable friend. I love to do things for other people and help them in any way that I can! Sometimes people say I do too much… but that’s just me!

I am definitely a family gal! Family means everything to me and I consider my siblings as my best friends. Although having sisters can be tough, I am forever grateful that I have them in my life, they have taught me how to be considerate of others and how to love unconditionally. I am so glad that we are all so close.

For me, a perfect day would include, seeing a good movie, getting my nails done, and eating at my favorite restaurant in my hometown while surrounded by friends and family!

My dream job is to become a reading specialist in my home district and travel to the different elementary schools in town to work with different kids. The reason being that I love my hometown and I have good relationships with many people involved in our district at home. I think that we have a great district and school system so working for them would be a great experience!

I am not currently involved in any special groups or organizations- but that is a goal of mine for this semester! In my free time I am usually working, or hanging out with friends and family.

The most impact that a service project has had on me was Feed my Starving Children. I have participated in many sessions and every time that I go, I feel so fulfilled. I love how it is a group effort to pack each box of food and at the end, they show you how much food you have packed and how many children it will feed in different countries!

I follow friends and family mostly on social media so that I can keep up with everyone and see what they are up to! I love seeing my cousins in particular because they tend to post pictures of their children so I can watch them grow up even when they live far away.

I have lived in the same house, in the same town, for my entire life. My first time leaving home was to go to college! I had a super tough transition to being away from home, but I couldn’t be happier that I made myself do it! It has only made me stronger.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

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