DEVELOPING THE WRITER IN EVERY CHILD

Developing the writer in every child;

Position Statement on Teaching Writing

Carolina A. Musawwir

NCSU Literacy Cohort Graduate Program

DEVELOPING THE WRITER IN EVERY CHILD

Abstract

Writing instruction in our public schools must be revamped. Special attention to this academic
area could have implications far exceeding the constraints of the classroom. As we strive for an
equitable and just society, we must prepare all members of society to be active participants.
Through the use of diverse mentor text, and appreciation of authors from all walks of life, our
classrooms foster and encourage all children to explore this form of expression. When we, the
teachers, look at writing as more than a mere subject area to teach during our assigned “writing
time”, we free our students to find its true value and encourage it as a life skill. The implications
of looking at writing through these lenses could give voice to those in our society who have
historically lacked it. This shift could change the landscape of whose stories are told in our
media and encourage a more culturally diverse dialog amongst our society.

Developing the Writer in Every Child;

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Position Paper on Teaching Writing

Teaching writing has taken a backseat in many of our classrooms, partly because it is not part of

our high stakes testing. Yet, writing is at the core of the skills that we use daily as productive

citizens of society. This skill allows us to communicate with others, to share our experiences, to

analyze our thinking and to express ourselves creatively. Writing also allows us to free some of

our brain memories, as it gives us a way to record our thoughts. It is because of writing that

humanity has progressed so far in so little time. This form of communication is a powerful

medium and one which has the power to shift societies, as it drives our nation’s discourse and the

way in which we see the rest of the world. Schools, as institutions for the advancement of social

justice, have the responsibility to teach this important skill, particularly and below I state my

position on why and how to achieve this imperative goal.

Writing as a vehicle for social equity

Stories drive the way we see the world, they shape our perception of our reality and drive where

we put our resources. Writing gives people the voice to become part of the societal conversation

and the power to influence change. People from all walks of life, race and culture need to be

equipped to use this form of communication in order to further an equitable society. “If

meaning is not inherent in text, then goodness, or value, is not either. Whether someone thinks a

book is good or not depends on that person's prior knowledge, experiences, and a variety of other

subjective factors” (Nauman, Stirling, & Borthwick, 2011, p.318-19). This quote reminds us of

how subjective print can be both for the writer and the reader. Not all writing needs, or should,

look the same, because our audiences are not the same and neither are we, the writers. This is
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one reason why it is imperative to have the voices of every segment of our population able to

effectively communicate in writing.

Making writers out of ALL our students

Public education must take on this important task, and we as teachers must lead the way, in order

to produce effective adult writers from all segments of our population. We begin by showing

our students that authors are people like them. Through the use of mentor text, and other popular

media sources, we expose students to the multitude of writing forms and the diversity of their

authors. We demystify the processes that published authors used in their writing by analyzing

what has worked for others, all while encouraging students to find the style that work for them.

We give them a purpose for their writing and an audience. We show them how use writing in all

aspects of our day and we provide ample time to practice those skills. With modeling from our

own writing, and that of published pieces of writing, we meet children’s writing needs where

they are, incrementally offering suggestions that could improve their writing through conferring

with students.

As we prepare our students to be lifelong learners we model for them that writing is not

something that just happens during writing time. We incorporate writing in all areas of the

classroom in order to solidify learning and extend thinking. Students use their writing skills for a

variety of purposes within the classroom and they are constantly reminded and exposed to its

value in the world outside of the classroom. The lines between reading and writing time become

blurred because readers are writers, and writers are readers.

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We celebrate our students’ uniquenesses and encouraged them to express themselves through

print, all while exposing them to authors who they could relate to racially, culturally and through

their experiences, demonstrating the importance of diversity in our voices.

What happens when we begin to teach writing in this way?

High school English teacher Eric Sprang refers to writing as being a dialogic relationship

between curriculum, text and self, which allows students to develop a voice, and the courage and

confidence to ask real question of import and urgency ("Education: Reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’s

‘Between the World and Me’," n.d.). The act of writing allows students to think deeper and

critically, and provides them with the product to share their viewpoints with others. Readers

begin to use books not just for the purpose of reading but also as tools for scaffolding their own

writing, as they strive to become more efficient communicators. Students begin to analyze text

in ways that they had not before, and this helps them to comprehend what they are reading better

and to think more critically (Graham,2010). They become critical readers of media and begin to

see how their writing can also be used to change the discourse, that right now does not include a

diversity of voices. Writing stops from being a scary and difficult subject to one that has real life

application. Children of all backgrounds begin to see themselves as writers, and a new

generation of diverse writers is created, with the skills and the motivation to change the discourse

of our society into one where all voices hold the same weight.

References
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An Education: Reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘Between the World and Me’. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://medium.com/synapse/an-education-reading-ta-nehisi-coates-s-between-the-world-and-
me-279a7b122912

Graham, S., and Hebert, M. A. (2010). Writing to read: Evidence for how writing can improve
reading. A Carnegie Corporation Time to Act Report. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent
Education.

Nauman, A. D., Stirling, T., & Borthwick, A. (2011). What Makes Writing Good? An Essential
Question for Teachers. The Reading Teacher, 64(5), 318-328. doi:10.1598/rt.64.5.2