Luke Orlando

 Philosophy of Teaching Writing
to Secondary Students

 

 

     I will teach writing to secondary students using a curriculum that transitions them to the writing standards held in higher education, gives them the skills they will need as professionals writing formal documents, and encourages personal creativity where writing is an art form

 

     As students move to higher education, the ability to write cogently and analytically is an invaluable skill that will serve them for the rest of their career, academic or otherwise. It is a tool that benefits them in every class regardless of discipline. By teaching writing to students as if they are already adults one prepares them for the treatment they will receive only a few months from their high school classes. In the two months of summer after senior year, these students are expected to transition from having to ask to use the restroom, to complete independence. With this increased independence comes a removal of the web of safety nets and resources available to them, and the ability to write well helps bridge this gap.
 

     More than any other subject, the ability to write in a clear and mature manner is one the students will be judged on for the rest of their lives. Memos, professional emails, resumes, and reports are just some of the writing opportunities they’ll come across in the professional world. In my curriculum, I will include a unit on professional writing to advance this skill as early as possible.
 

     Writing also serves as a creative and psychologically wholesome activity. It is a productive outlet that encourages students to create with their emotions. For many kids, their creative outlets will be limited by the constraints of their income. A student may not be able to afford music lessons or expensive paints, but everyone can afford a pencil and paper.
 

     There are many ways I would, as an instructor, institute these practices in my classroom. First, I will institute a portfolio system in which each student will be required to keep all their writing. Thus, they can observe their progress at the end of the year and feel a sense of accomplishment. I will require private free-writing time where students are able to create and share their writing with peers of their choosing in a safe space. By practicing valuing the opinions and experiences of others, they’ll be preparing themselves to handle the challenges of an increasingly diverse social environment.
 

     My assessments would be based on two-draft assignments that take place over weeks rather than a single essay due in one moment. This gives me the ability to provide feedback to the students so they know why they earn the grades they do. It is my goal that every student feel validated, successful, and edified throughout the whole of their writing experience in my classroom.