The article “Kitchen Tables and Rented Rooms: The Extracurriculum of Composition” by Anne Gere raises some important questions about how literacy classes like English and composition are taught in formal institutions. As early as the mid-nineteenth century, publications criticized the way composition was taught in schools, exploiting the fact that formal education was becoming a serious problem. Gere pointed out that in, “A Help to Young Writers, a self-help guide published in 1836, found fault with the ‘vapid subjects’ assigned by teachers and with the tendency of schools to teach composition as though it bore no relationship to good conversation” (Gere 81). Frequently, English and composition classes are taught as mundane, painstaking classes that allow no creativity to the students in their walls. One solution to this was extracurricular writing clubs that have persisted for over a century. These groups allowed adults, students and teachers of all skill levels to hone the craft of writing and learn from other members. In addition, these groups never labeled their members as illiterate or ‘poor writers’. Gere writes about the testimony of one woman, Anita Ardell, who participated in an extracurricular group, “I had never before written. They’ve encouraged me incredibly. . .You are given the freedom to try. You feel brave here. You feel brave at the women writers group” (Gere 76).
In my own experience, I have never felt like I was being labeled as a poor writer or felt demeaned for my lack proficiency. This is probably a result of having wonderful English teachers throughout my middle and high school years. Although there were certain grammatical and structural rules in our writing assignments, my teachers usually granted some freedom in what to write about. For papers or assignments about novels and articles I read, the assignment was to express your opinion about the authors style and content, and never merely summarize. In this way, I never felt trapped by the walls of institutionalized academics and I consider myself extremely lucky for that. Similarly, I hardly ever felt that I was a poor writer either consciously or unconsciously. The only times I would feel like a ‘bad writer’ was when I would not receive a good grade on my paper. However, these ‘bad grades’ had nothing to do with the content of my writing, but was the result of grammatical errors. In her article, Gere expresses that good writers can and are produced from extracurricular writing groups that do not focus on the tedious nuisances that plague academic classrooms. “In addition to increasing positive feelings, workshops outside the classroom walls discipline participants to hone their craft as writers” (Gere 76).
Nevertheless, the biggest question that remains is how to incorporate the benefits of extracurricular writing groups into an academic curriculum. “Positive feelings about oneself and one’s writing, motivation to revise and improve composition skills, opportunities for publication of various sorts, the belief that writing can make a difference in individual and community life-these accomplishments of workshops outside classroom walls mirror the goals most of us composition teachers espouse for our students” (Gere 78). Today, it is difficult for many composition teachers to incorporate creative and personal writing into their lesson plans since they are following rules set by the Board of Education and are attempting to prepare students for standardized tests like the ACT. I believe the best way for English and composition teachers to implement extracurricular writing practices into their classrooms, is by allowing students to express their opinion about literature read in class. Also, teachers should allow students choices on creative assignments like writing poetry so each students does not have to fit into one scheme while still maintaining some control over students writing. Another way to utilize the lessons of extracurricular writing is by having students present their work to the class. I know I frequently had to do this in my classes and it helped me learn how to become a better writer. However, the most important thing for teachers and students to remember is that, “composition is nothing more than conversation put on paper” (Gere 81). Writing is not an impersonal activity and should be used as a mode of expression, a concept often forgotten by educational institutions.
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