teaching philosophy
In her famed essay, “Poetry is an Egg with a Horse Inside,” Matthea Harvey writes that the concerns of adults and children are not so different, “we want to be surprised, transformed, delighted, understood” (2015); so much is true of adolescents as they embark on their collegiate journeys. As a student and educator, I have learned that regardless of what I’m teaching, when we underestimate our students, we lose their trust—our mutual understanding is discontinued or interrupted. To prevent this, I find that I must continually refine my approach to education through transparency, honesty about my mistakes, and most importantly being willing to accept feedback and critique as the primary method to progress.
In most undergraduate creative writing courses, students are not informed about what life for a creative writer can look like; instead, many leave class believing that there isn’t a way for poets and novelists to make ends meet. Furthermore, many undergraduate students taking creative writing courses are not looking to make creative writing their career; rather, they’re on various degree tracks and consider writing a hobby. In my creative writing courses—whether taught in a university or literary program—I place heavy emphasis on the ways anyone can have a successful writing career alongside their other passions and goals with class discussions on publication and the importance of independent literary magazines, first book awards, and other contests. I find this is best accomplished when a) allowing the students to have a role in determining required reading, as suggested by Felicia Rose Chavez in The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop, and b.) choosing to incorporate readings from small presses and literary journals that publish lesser-known writers or writers with “day-jobs.”
My experience as a creative informs a significant portion of my education philosophy; the creative process, much like the writing process, is circular, recurrent, at times anxiety-provoking, and an overall frustrating endeavor true to even the most seasoned creative. When teaching, I prefer to lean into this as an inevitable trademark of learning—never are we complete with knowledge or full of all the right answers. I find that doing this often maintains authenticity in my rapport with students.
In my experience, students often have a rich desire to learn, however, they are consistently limited by factors that are typically out of their control. I aim to create a learning environment that supports equitable education and respect for those with diverse learning needs so that I can meet students wherever they are in their learning process. A significant aspect of this involves acknowledging my shortcomings and ensuring that my students have an instructor who wants to help them succeed despite where I may lack knowledge. By admitting I do not have all the answers, students can feel safe to trust they were not born knowing things, and the only way to obtain information is to ask questions and engage respectfully and honestly with others. I am committed to recognizing diverse learners, and their experiences, and helping them realize and connect with their authentic selves and aspirations.
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My approach to teaching varies slightly between creative writing courses and teaching composition courses; however, ultimately, my classes are discussion-based versus more lecture-heavy forms of pedagogy. In composition courses, like creative writing courses, students often have experienced forms of writing anxiety that surpass the anxiety creatives experience. For this reason, writing has become something they don’t enjoy, and they don’t see the value in learning it. By teaching writing as a vital tool in any career, and encouraging them to write in the most natural ways, students begin to reshape their perspective on writing and begin working to destroy their inner critic. In “Should Writers Use They Own English” by Vershawn Ashanti Young, he implores educators to decolonize their pedagogy and see the damaging effects of “standard English” in writing courses. It’s important to me to create a diverse environment inclusive of students of any background and experience, so Young’s ideology is especially helpful and encouraging for students to read. When they understand that they’re free to make mistakes, they are more open to correction.
In one composition course during a discussion on voice in academic writing, a student commented that a teacher once told him he had the vocabulary of a 5th grader, so he always felt uncertain about his writing. I’ve found it’s often in these situations that students are most tempted to cheat or plagiarize; in this way, by investing time in encouraging students to write in the way most accessible to them, they are more than open to correction—they are becoming comfortable with their voices, ultimately because they know, regardless their identity, their voices matter.
I find that students learn best when communicating with each other and their teacher in an environment where it is safe to be wrong, to change opinions, and to learn something for the first time. This is why I value the peer review process or workshop model in writing courses the most. It’s especially true in composition that students feel insecure in their knowledge of grammar and other conventions of writing, so introducing Young’s pedagogical framework early in the semester can help students be more receptive to peer feedback and feel more comfortable asking for help when they’re unsure of themselves or their peers.
The education system in the United States is constructed in a way that allows students to slip through the cracks, to pass English courses undetected, and the varied curriculum often brings students to college writing that have vast differences in their English education. Recognizing our own fallibility is an inherent part of our humanity; however, as an educator, fostering an environment that embraces graceful correction and encourages continuous improvement is my commitment and privilege.
References
Chavez, F. R. (2021). The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How To Decolonize the Creative Classroom. Chicago, Illinois, Haymarket Books.
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Harvey, M. (2013). Poetry is an Egg with a Horse Inside. In D. Lasky, J. Nathan, & D. Luxford (Eds.), Open the Door: How to Excite Young People about Poetry: essay, McSweeney’s.
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Young, V. A., (2010). Should Writers Use They Own English? Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies 12(1), 110-117. doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-569X.1095