I have always had positive experiences with writing. It has always been kind of fun for me to. I haven't always been essentially good at it but I have always had fun with it. That is something I want to be able to master as I get older, is the art of writing. My husband is an amazing artist. We both love children! It is our goal as a couple to write a children's book. Myself being the author and my husband being the illustrator. Obviously, this is a big dream and may be unrealistic but we still hope to take the necessary steps of getting there. You can't write a book without knowing the basics of grammar, which is what I think I struggle with the most.
When it comes to considering myself as a writer, I do when it is personal writing. Whether it be a persuasive essay on something I enjoy or a journal. I prefer to express my ideas in something like a journal or jotting down notes. I have always been a doodler, I can remember way back when I was little doodling during church. I never drew anything but I always wrote my name and tried to write it in different designs. I found that I listen better when I am writing notes or doodling words. This tends to be a problem in school because sometimes the teachers find this offensive. Today, I enjoy writing in my journal, keeping scrapbooks and texts. I have noticed that I prefer emails over texts. I find that I feel like I need to summarize texts and emails I can elaborate more.
I remember one writing assignment in high school that I throughly enjoyed. The class was called FCHD 1500. This is short for Family and Consumer Human Development class that goes through the development of the human life. We were required to write down one of our most memorable childhood moments. I had to resort to my Mom for a lot of the information. It was fun to be able to talk to her about it and then apply it into my paper. Most of my favorite papers I wrote were the ones that I was able to relate back to myself and add a personal note to it. My least favorite writing assignments are the ones that required for me to do research on a topic ad then write a paper about it. In short, this is called a research paper. I have never been good at these.
I hope when I am a teacher to be able to make writing assignments that are relevant to the students with what they are doing in life. I find this to be useful because the students will be more excited to complete the assignment and I as their teacher will be able to learn more about them and what they stand for. Luckily, a lot of FACS writing assignments are personal and relatively easy to apply to life.
I think it is awesome that you one of your favorite writing assignments was actually in your discipline. I agree with you, research papers are a really boring way to have your students learn and write. Though they are useful, I think more smaller meaningful assignments help in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI love that you have only had positive experiences, I have not been so lucky! I think it is great that you and Reggie want to write a children's book! I can't wait to read it to my children someday! I think that is a great goal! I too struggle with grammar! It gets me every single time! Meaningful assignments stick in your mind and it is not just a grade you are after. You remember that assignment in FCHD 1500 because you had to go to your Mom for help instead of the computer! Great post, Lars!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that many FACS assignments will be relevant and easy to apply to life. I liked your idea of writing about a memory, and then analyzing that memory according to FACS principles. I think that many students will enjoy that kind of personal writing, just as you did. Thanks for your posting!
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