Writing is a personal activity that allows people to share their stories with others. While basic writers exist at all types of institutions, some schools seek to protect their reputation by not addressing underprepared student writers. Teaching writing requires speaking to students as intelligent individuals and creating a warm classroom environment. As writing skills improve, students' confidence in their own work will increase. The field of composition studies continuously adapts as languages evolve with technology and society.

1. Writing, students & school Ashley Parker ENG 571 Presentation One

2. We all have a story. What is writing? Writing is a personal activity. Writing is also a political and pedagogical activity. (Carter, 2011) Everyone has a story in them. Writing is an outlet for those stories to be passed on and communicated to others.

3. Basic writing. “Basic writers can and do exist across institutional types and diverse student populations, based on the configuration and standards of the local writing program, and the prevalence of these writers has existed far more historically than we acknowledge.” (Ritter, 2009) In Ritter’s article, Neal Lerner notes that “in order to maintain their ‘brand,’ or public marker as an elite institution, however, such schools seek to protect their reputation ‘from the uncomfortable reality of student performance,’ particularly the work of the underprepared student writers.” (Ritter, 2009)

4. Basic Writing. Continued. What I’ve learned from all this so far: Writing doesn’t have to be academic to be considered good. Using big words and writing long papers doesn’t make someone a good writer if they can’t get their point across to the reader. Basic writing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We all have to start somewhere. There is no reason to be embarrassed by being in a basic writing class. Schools and educators need to be prepared to teach and guide these students through the writing process in order for them to grow and succeed. There is no reason for schools to be embarrassed by basic writing students.

5. How we teach. How do we teach writing, rhetoric and all the other components of English? “Americans respond powerfully to red-meat political rhetoric, but it is also true that once the balloons drop and the pulse returns to normal, people want a few facts, want to be spoken to as though they have brains in their heads.” (Rose, 2009) Students should be taught in classrooms that are warm, inviting, and encouraging. Whether in high school or college, students don’t want to be talked to as if they are stupid. Rose points out the importance of speaking to students as intelligent individuals.

6. How we teach. Continued. “So many of the commercially driven verbal and imagistic messages that surround our young people work against the development of the very qualities of mind the business community tells the schools it wants the schools foster.” (Rose, 2009) Rose explains that in order to teach students values and a love of knowledge, educators and the outside world (businesses, parents, etc.) must be on the same page. For example, having a liquor brand sponsor a “Say no to alcohol” campaign in the schools sends mixed messages.

7. Composition & English studies.A look from the Norton book of compositional studies. “Composition studies has established itself as a discrete academic field and at the same time has consistently renewed its thinking about composing…” (Miller, 2009) The world of languages is always changing. As people have moved around the world throughout history, languages and writing have evolved. As technology grows, so does our knowledge and our ways of communicating with others. New words are always being created and accepted into society and the world of writing.

8. Composition & English studies continued.a look from Why school? “Acquiring and using knowledge brings its own pleasures. It just feels good to know things and to use what you know. And knowledge of something, baseball to mathematics, heightens your appreciation of it. Also, once you develop an interest in a topic, you want to know more.” (Rose, 2009) As students learn to write (and write well) their appreciation for it and comfort with it will increase. Students who think their papers will constantly come back to them covered with red markings have a lower confidence in their writings and therefore may lower their efforts. As we help students improve their writing skills, their confidence in their work will increase.

9. Works cited. Miller, S. (2009). The norton book of composition studies. (1 ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Rose, M. (2009). Why school? reclaiming education for all of us. (1 ed.). New York: The New Press. Ritter, K. (2009). Before Shaughnessy : basic writing at Yale and Harvard, 1920-1960. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.