✏️ Preview: “Help! I don’t know how to teach writing!”
You don’t need to be a walking encyclopedia or creative genius to teach writing. You just need to embrace the jazz of imperfection.
As a series, Teach Writing Tomorrow will address major myths and misconceptions about teaching writing. It will move from attitudes to actions and mindsets to methods, showing how any teacher, regardless of their own perceived ability or creativity, can teach writing tomorrow. Subscribe so you don't miss the next update!
My Upcoming Workshop
Soon I’ll be presenting a revised version of my workshop “Help! I don’t know how to teach writing!” While I’ve delivered this talk several times already, I’m streamlining the main points to allow more discussion time
What is the talk about? Here’s an average description:
Does teaching writing feel... intimidating? Do terms and grading feel like roadblocks? This session shows why teaching writing is a joy, not a burden. Learn tricks for fast feedback, saving both the red pen and precious family time. Learn how collecting writing samples leads to more authentic writing tasks. Lastly, learn why writing forms the backbone to simplified teaching—from inclusion to high ability. After all, a writing-based English class is like a running-based Cross Country team!
What does the talk entail? The previous (now extended version) addresses six common myths and misconceptions about teaching writing. I pair each mantra with teaching suggestions, arguing anyone can teach writing. Do any of the following sound familiar?
Myth 1: I can't teach writing. I don't know all the terms.
Myth 2: I don't have the time to teach writing.
Myth 3: Students should not write until they write perfect sentences.
Myth 4: Feedback takes too long. I have to mark everything!
Myth 5: A room of twenty has one grader.
Myth 6: Writing doesn't allow differentiation. Worksheets do.
How does this workshop relate to Teach Writing Tomorrow (TWT)? In short, while my workshop leaves many wanting those next steps, TWT builds naturally as those next steps. “Help!” suggests the attitudes and mindsets while TWT will suggest the actions and methods.
This post will provide a working outline along with relevant blurbs. At some point, based on feedback, I’ll work on a finalized version of the workshop (Fall 2024) and then record the voiceover.
Note: ICYMI, this post is the second in the series Teach Writing Tomorrow. I want these posts to start a conversation in the teaching community: How did you learn to teach writing? If you haven’t, go back and add a blurb!
Basic Outline
Note: Since Substack doesn’t allow basic tabbing in the formatting, this outline will blend formal elements with bullet points.
I. Introduction
II. Myth: “I can’t teach writing because I don’t know the terms. Besides, I’m bad at it and not creative”
A. Reality: You don’t need encyclopedic knowledge or genius creativity
B. Writing is polished, not perfect. More jazz and improv than concert music.
C. On self-limiting beliefs: What if you could teach writing?
III. Myth: “I can’t teach writing because it takes too much time.”
A. Reality: When do you use proper grammar and vocabulary? When writing.
B. On disconnected teaching beliefs.
C. Towards an integrated view of literature and grammar.
IV. Myth: “I can’t teach writing because grading takes too long. I have to mark every mistake.”
A. Reality: Marking every mistake leads to burnout.
B. Create comment archives (templates)
C. Utilize frequent, short peer review.
V. Next Steps
A. 20 Suggestions to Teach Writing
B. Big Changes
C. Small Changes
Working Blurbs
Myth 1: I’m Not…
“Let’s start with the heaviest and most real reasons: I can’t teach writing because I don’t know the terms. Besides, I’m bad at writing and I’m not even creative.
“These reasons resonate at an emotional level, but they aren’t dealbreakers. Teaching writing is more improvisation and jazz than cleanly rehearsed concert music. When writing looks easy, remember it didn’t start finished. Before publication, those words began with mistakes—red zigzags and blue pen marks. How did those words improve? By fixing mistakes. Good writing, then, depends on mistakes and imperfections.
“Before teaching writing, let’s clean the slate. Attitudes lead to actions and mindsets lead to methods. Before addressing the what, we must explain the why. We can address hands-on, concrete checklists later, but until we steer that rudder, we’ll keep striking the shoals and sandbars of self-limiting beliefs.
“It’s true we teach what we know, but if we convince ourselves we know nothing, doing anything becomes difficult. Foundations precede frameworks, and if you’re willing, you can break free from self-limiting beliefs…
“When I teach writing, I give this affirmation frequently: You have my permission to make mistakes. Writing isn’t perfect, but polished. Once freed from mistakes, students make tremendous growth. This goes for teachers, too. If our teaching lives are like essays, we too must struggle through early drafts and continually improve.
Myth 2: Teaching Writing Takes Time
“Let’s take another myth: I can’t teach writing because it takes too much time. Besides, I have to mark all the mistakes.
“Let’s explore this one: Raise your hands if you agree: I can’t teach writing because I have to teach spelling. I can’t teach writing because I have to teach grammar. I can’t teach writing because I have to teach vocabulary. I can’t teach writing because I have to teach literature. I can’t teach writing because it’s that one extra thing.
“Let’s flip the script a bit: When do you use proper spelling? When you write. When do you use proper grammar? When you write. When do you use proper vocabulary? When you write. When do you explore literature? When you write. When does writing become that one extra thing? When you don’t teach it.
“If writing becomes the one extra thing, your personal philosophy, whether written or not, isolates rather than integrates. Spelling doesn’t exist apart from writing, just like grammar doesn’t exist apart from writing. Exploring or thinking about literature means writing.
“And yet disconnected standards lead to disconnected thinking. This literal-mindedness elevates nearsightedness from myopia to blindness. Standards-based thinking lead to dead-level abstracting and the complete lack of critical and creative thinking for teachers. We focus on what’s without why’s; we follow directions without seeking frameworks.
“Just know isolation becomes distortion. Time not spent writing is time not spent writing. We can address so many topics with depth, but time not spent writing is time not spent writing. If we use writing as a means, writing explores any topic. But if we use writing as ends only, writing becomes discarded and disposable.
“So what’s a more integrated view of grammar? I’ll explore two ideas, but know each deserves its own chapter.
“One, Revising writing becomes the most individualized grammar. Every student has different struggles, whether in style (spelling and grammar), structure (organizational patterns), or the ideas themselves. You’ll never hear me say ‘differentiation.’ When asked, I play dumb. I say I don’t differentiate at all. Instead, when students revise, differentiation becomes individualization.
“Two, Writing for meaning over mechanics. This doesn’t mean we ignore grammar. Not at all. But it means shifting our lenses. When we write for meaning, we engage ideas. Why stress spelling and punctuation in the first place? Because revision means clearer thinking. Easier communication.
Myth 3: Grading Every Mistake
“Here’s a third myth: I can’t teach writing because I have to mark every mistake. Feedback takes too long and they don’t care anyways.
“To start, stop marking every mistake. Stop it. Never attempt it again. This is literally the biggest time sink in the profession. Marking every mistake for every student for every essay will suck your soul dry. Besides, what’s the student data on thank you notes for comma splices? I’m serious! I’ll give two suggestions.
“One, If you write it more than twice, create templates instead. Especially for writing feedback.
[On Michael Clay Thompson’s Opus 40 system] “Think about the time and effort saved from a cognitive standpoint: Before I’d recognize a mistake, circle the mistake, and recall the appropriate feedback. A writing may have ten mistakes, and suddenly I’m filling margins with a dozen paragraphs. So imagine my surprise when instead I’m just circling comments instead: Recognition came with feedback, but without the mental effort of recalling and endlessly rewriting. This alone restored joy to teaching writing.
“Two, Embrace other eyes. Here’s a question: A room with twenty students has how many graders? (Pause.) Twenty-one.
“This doesn’t mean students have full grading power. Not even close. Instead, frequent, short peer reviews mean that if twenty students catch one mistake each, you have twenty-fewer mistakes to grade.
“On a related note, many teachers advocate writing less to increase the quality. If they write less but write better, their writing will be better. This sounds good, but ignores an important aspect: Frequency. Revision means regular writing and discussion. Revision occurs through dialogue. If we demand perfection as starting point and write less, time not spent writing is time not spent writing.
Next Steps
As of now, I’m hoping this simplified talk aims more towards dialogue than simply me talking. I’m still learning the depths to which a conference workshop (public speaking) is not a lesson plan. However, whereas my previous, extended version of the talk included many how-to’s sprinkled throughout, I’m ending with those how-to’s as first steps and next steps.
Stay tuned for the next post, where I’ll start exploring “20 Tips for Teaching Writing Tomorrow.” This list will serve as the foundation for the essays, posts, and chapters that make Teach Writing Tomorrow.
While you’re here, check out recent posts with tips and suggestions for teaching writing. While I’m launching Teach Writing Tomorrow as its own series, it will still incorporate past ideas.
