Gere Post

I will not be able answer every question posed in this week's blog prompt, and I could not be more thankful. The first question asks you to explain how experiences from your own classes failed to include Gere's extracurriculum. I'm unable to answer that question, because surprisingly, I have not ever had such experiences. I've never thought that I was a bad writer, nor have I have been taught that I could not write. I consider myself lucky to have had positive educational experiences and creative, motivational teachers.

English was incorporated into the standard curriculum at my elementary school in grades K-4, and it was usually the subject that I looked forward to the most. My teachers in grade school made it seem "fun" to read and write. The physical layout of the classroom was conducive to a positive learning environment, and my teachers always had creative ways to appeal to multiple learning-styles and student interests. her article, “Kitchen Tables and Rented Rooms: The Extracurriculum of Composition,” Gere describes the relationship of physical and mental disciple, saying "The relaxed physical environment of the extracurriculum suggests that we re-think the relationship between physical and mental discipline." She goes on to describe classrooms that feature things such as carpeting, cushioning, and bean bag chairs. These are exactly the kinds of physical settings that I experienced in my elementary school classrooms. In kindergarten, it was the "reading circle," which was just a rug where the teacher read to students. My first grade classroom had an old, deep bathtub in a corner that was full of pillows. Every student was given the opportunity to read in the tub during silent reading time. It was one of the most exciting parts of the day. Gere encourages teachers to "...focus on the experience of writers not always visible to us inside the walls of the academy." I believe that creating fun learning environments can have a strong impact on a student’s willingness and anticipation to learn.

In middle school, my classrooms no longer had reading tubs or bean bag chairs. However, students were allowed to get out of their desks and read in various places in the classroom or in the hallway. We chose which books we wanted to read, and later wrote about WHY we chose our books, and what we thought about them. When we learned the rules of grammar, we constructed our own grammar handbooks. My 8th grade English project was to write a book. Every student was to write their own 15-20 page book that included a problem-solving plot, illustrations, a bio about the author, and hand painted hard cover. At the end of the semester, our class held an open house where students read their books out loud and received awards for "most suspenseful," "most artistic," and so on. My teachers have always understood the need to incorporate hands on activities in the classroom. I think that if more teachers designed lesson plans that were hands on, and appealed to numerous learning styles, then more students would get excited about their learning.

Of course, every grade level has federal standards that they must comply with, and students must be taught the basic principles of reading and writing. My classrooms had rigid curriculum, and students were given traditional lessons on the road to developing their reading and writing skills. What is important about my experiences in education is that there was always balance in the lesson plans my teachers designed in terms of traditional and non-traditional educational approaches. Gere describes a type of "self-education" in her extracurriculum, which can be carried over into the classroom. Teachers can do many things, like setting up mini-workshops for their students, to get them involved in their learning. It is important to let students have a voice in their education, and it's possible for students to design their own curriculum and still learn everything that they are "required" to learn.

I've enjoyed reading and writing from a very young age. I had personal journals throughout grade school and middle school that I wrote in daily. I read books every night before going to bed. I started as a reporter for my high school paper my freshman year and worked my way up to being editor-in-chief of the newspaper. Looking back on my education, I have to ask myself the common question of nature vs. nurture. My teachers always praised students for doing a good job, and encouraged students to do their best work. Maybe the reason that I'm a good writer today isn't because of natural ability, but because my teachers offered fun lesson plans and always told me that I would always be a good writer as long as I kept working hard. Whatever the reason, I'm thankful, and I'm fully prepared to follow in my teachers footsteps and get creative in the classroom.