Have you ever struggled to get your students to write compositions that both you and the students felt worthy of the time spent writing and marking them?
Here’s a little hint of what may up the game for you and them: Give them choice.
How can I mark fairly if I give choice? How can I deal with them in class if they are all different?
Well, first of all, you WANT THEM ALL TO BE DIFFERENT.
If you assign one topic, such as the old standby that teachers gave us in school and some are still giving today- “What I did for my summer holidays”, you will usually get some milk toast “we went camping again” or some made up “we flew in our private jet to Paris”.
You don’t want either. You want a story that they are interested in and they have had some personal experience with. Treat them more like writers than students. Even when writers are assigned a story topic, the writer makes it their own.
The teacher offers topics of a universal nature, something most people have experienced.
For example, the topic “Write about the biggest mistake you have ever made” will result in 20 different stories, with one common topic. The students chooses the story, you, the teacher, selects the universal theme.
Such a simple idea and so so so effective. Just watch their writing improve.
In order for this to work, one factor must be alive in your classroom. The factor is TRUST. The student must trust that their story content will not be ridiculed or shared if they want it to be kept confidential. It is our job as teachers to give comment on the writing style, not what the story is about. We have no right to comment on what’s in the child’s mind.
That may be a very radical thing to say. Yet, I take the risking of not only saying it, but insisting that it is absolutely necessary if students feel safe enough to write about real things in our classrooms.
As a professor, I have had teachers question this suggestion. “What if the students tells me about sexual abuse?” or “their stealing?” or “uses sexual words?” My answer? Give your students an advance organizer. Let them know that if they write about something that has happened to them that is harmful, it is your legal responsibility to report that. This needs to be done in a calm manner, assuring the student that you will discuss it with them and never put them in more danger.
Another advance organizer might be to encourage them to write confidential on the composition if they do not want to share their work in class.
And finally, if there is a topic you do not feel comfortable about your students exploring in their work, tell them what it is. “I do not feel comfortable with ……..” please do not write using ideas and language which ………..”. Whatever makes you uncomfortable will get in between you and the student if you do not forewarn them. Some teachers are very sensitive about religious issues, or some political issues, or some cultural differences, or anything sexual in nature. That’s ok.. just let them know before they hand it in to you.
When you give students choice and you want them to be real, their writing will improve, I promise you, and so will the range of topics that they have experienced. Even five year-olds may have had an experience you may not be prepared to hear about or deal with.
I was invited to a grade seven classroom to assist the teacher with a student who was writing very misogynist stories and the teacher had no idea what to do.
I gave the students a short writing lesson on how to write good leads and then suggested they write on the universal topic, “I was surprised when…..” and advised them to write a real story that would tell us something about them.
The student wrote a very graphic piece about a rape. I sat with the students as I read the story and gave them feedback. “May I ask you a question?” I asked the young man. He shrugged. I took it as an okay. “This is a very sad story about someone being badly hurt. Have you ever been hurt in this way?”
He glared at me for asking such an awful question. “’Course not!” he said, not one bit happy.
“Has someone you know been hurt in this way, like a sister, or cousin, or friend?”
Again the glare and the “’course not!”
“Then how can you write about it?”
The student was quick with his response, “I just did!”
“But you haven’t earned the right to do that. You haven’t experienced it yourself, or know anyone who has. You’re just making this up and what you are making up is not close to what people really feel, you know.”
“People make things up all the time,” he insisted.
This young man was not stupid and he was going to argue the issue.
“Yes, they do,” I agreed. “Sometimes people lie, sometimes writers make up stories about outer space when they’ve never been to outer space. “
He smiled. He had me. Or so he thought.
“But if they do write about outer space or other made up things, if the writing is any good, they have a very real aspect of human life incorporated in the story. It’s the real part that captures the reader. I asked him if he’d read any Stephen King stories, or seen any movies based on Stephen King’s books.
Luckily, he had and this led to a good discussion about the human aspects of betrayal, fear, cruelty, addiction in those stories.
Finally, I reminded him that one of the instructions I had given the class was to write about something they themselves had experienced. “I didn’t do that to make you follow my instructions because I was the teacher, I gave those instructions to help you become a better writer.”
“I’d be happy to read your new work if you want to try again.” He wrote a story about the first time his mother ever slapped him. I didn’t have to mark spelling or grammar. He was a pretty good writer. But if there had been many spelling or grammar mistakes, I would not have red pencilled them. He had written a real story and it was a heartfelt story. I read it quietly as he watched me intently.
“Thank you so much, I wrote on the paper. “Your story feels very real and I can imagine it happening and I can imagine how you felt because you have told me. I don’t have to make up things in my head to understand your story. You have done a good job. I appreciate your trusting me with this story. It will be a private story between us.” And I signed my name as I would in any contract.
I am pretty sure had I had even a month as the teacher in that classroom, this student would have become one of the best writers in grade seven. I don’t know his progress. I was simply there to provide some help for the teacher.
I confess to longing for the days, many years ago, when I was a teacher in a classroom of my own. One thing the regular teacher has, is the glorious opportunity to be with a student long enough to make a real difference in that student’s life.
It’s a huge responsibility and the most gratifying profession in the world. Happy teaching. I hope today’s message has been useful to you. If you have any questions you would like me to discuss, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.
Carolyn Mamchur
Key Takeaways
- Choice Drives Engagement and Authenticity
- Allowing students to choose their own stories within a universal theme makes writing more meaningful and improves quality.
- Trust Is Essential for Honest Writing
- Students need to feel safe that their personal experiences won’t be ridiculed or shared without consent, fostering openness and creativity.
- Focus on Writing Style, Not Content Judgment
- Teachers should critique how the story is written, not the personal experiences or ideas behind it, to respect student individuality.
- Clear Boundaries and Advance Organizers Prevent Issues
- Setting expectations about sensitive topics and confidentiality upfront helps maintain a safe and respectful classroom environment.
