Throughout my English classes in middle and high school, I wouldn't say that I had a great experience. I had a hard time in English for many reasons. I would have to read articles over and over again that were assigned to me because they were always hard for me to understand. At the same time, I was unable to critically analyze the material I was reading and I never was able to understand the deeper meaning of the particular articles the teachers choose for us to read. At times, I would be so uninterested in the articles, that I would not even read at all. Even though, I may have been a good writer, it would be difficult to write papers about books and articles that I hardly understood. All of these struggles that I had throughout my English courses made it difficult to succeed. It was hard for me to improve when I didn't understand what I needed to do to differently to better understand the texts. The teachers I had and the way English is taught had a large effect on this. From my experiences, I would agree with Gere that the way literature classes are taught in today's school systems are ineffective in the aspect of trying to broaden student's knowledge of literacy.
The main problem with the way literacy is taught in English classes is that student's aren't given self-generated space and they aren't able to have their own choices about what they want to read and write about. Students are simply given a book or article to read and are expected to read it. This is the same affect that reading and writing had on Rodriguez. He was expected to do well and in other words he only learned to mimic what authors said and never understood a deeper meaning of what he was reading. In my experiences, I was simply uninterested in the topics the teachers would choose. If teachers gave students the chance for more self-direction, they may have a better chance at being literate. For example, extra curriculum is described in Gere's essay as, "constructed by desire, by the aspirations and imaginations of its participants..it posits writing as an action undertaken by motivated individuals who frequently see it as having social and economic consequences, including transformations in personal relationships and farming practices" (80). This quote shows that when students are allowed to choose their own reading or topic they are writing about they have a better chance at being interested in the material. This will in return, allow students to become more literate. In Gere's essay we were able to see many examples where writing development has occurred outside the classroom. The writers take writing seriously in these examples and are able to truly express their feelings in ways they never thought where possible and this is where literacy becomes really extraordinary. They are able to gain confidence and begin to think of themselves as writers. This is where the literacy in education needs to change, so that students are able to think of themselves as writers as well.
On the other hand, there has never been a time when a teacher has taught me unconsciously that I couldn't write. I know that my teachers have been helpful in certain ways, but I just feel that I didn't get out of my English classes what I should have. I would never consider myself as "a bad writer;" in fact, I do think of myself as a good writer when it comes to organization, writing style, and voice, but I particularly struggle at reading texts and interpreting their meaning. This is where I find it difficult for teachers to "teach" students how to do this. It would be helpful for teachers to let them make more decisions on their own. In particular, if student's weren't just given an article or book to read that the teacher has chosen, they may be able to better understand what they are reading. Simultaneously, "our students would benefit if we learned to see them as individuals who seek to write, not be written about, who seek to publish, not be published about, who seek to theorize, not be theorized about" (89). In general, students need to be able to have independence to become more literate. Teachers can still get what they need done by allowing students to choose particular books or articles to read, but then still giving the same assignment. That way, you still have some restrictions in the classroom, but are also allowing the students some self-direction. Composition and literacy are so important in a student's education, so it is crucial that teachers truly have an effect on the student's understanding of literacy, while allowing for extra curriculum.
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