Entry #5

Dr Jones,

Overall I am very pleased with this class.  It has pushed me to step out of my comfort zone.  Before this class I was very timid to make my writing public.  I am still nervous to do so, but I am slowly becoming more comfortable with it.  I have seen public writing as similar to public speaking, in which I feel very judged as I am doing it.

My understanding for the connection between reading and writing has grown tremendously.  Before class I had a close minded view of how the two were connected.  Even in the first class session we had my eyes were widely opened.  I had never thought about the strategies that writers use as being comparable to readers and visa versa.  I now see writing as a way to think and learn.  I have grown to be more comfortable just letting my thoughts flow out rather than plan and organize to an extreme.  This has led me to be able to fully transact as I write.  I now am able to have a conversation with myself as I write to discover new ideas and reconsider old ones.  I now question my own thoughts as I am writing in a new way. Previously I would question whether I was "doing it right", now I question my own ideas and thoughts.  This has pushed me to a different level of thinking, and in turn like I said, use writing as a tool to think.  The only habits that I feel I need to change is writing more often.  Although I have grown to be more comfortable with writing, I still don't feel comfortable enough to do it leisurely.  This is something I hope I can do someday.  I find writing to be a way to clear my head and get my thoughts out quickly and easily.

The first instructional strategy that I have learned and I feel will help me as a literacy teacher is to see the connection between reading and writing.  I want to show my students that these are not two separate activities, but in fact there are many overlaps. Strategies that writers use can and should also be used to be good readers.  The discussion we had on the first night sticks in my head.  It was about rereading, and how many times students see those that have to reread as "poor readers" rather than readers that are looking to clarify or find a new idea in the text.  I also want to be able to show my students that writing is not simply done with pen and paper.  I addressed this in my previous blog, as I discussed how my eyes have been open to the wide range of genres.  Many of which I had never even thought of as writing activities.

Overall I am very please with what I have learned from this class.  I have many new ideas that I had never even considered before.  Prior to this class I was nervous to be a teacher of literacy, hence why I chose the literacy program.  This class alone has built my confidence and excitement for teaching literacy some day.  The ideas are intriguing for me and I can't wait to pass them on to my students.

I do not have any concerns about class at this time. I feel it is all going very smoothly.   Expectations and standards are clear and reachable.  Thank you for such a great learning experience.

Sincerely,
Jennie Krolak