Blog #1: Inspiration from Cameron and a Reaction to the NCTE Article

The short chapters from Julia Cameron's The Right to Write felt like the crisp, refreshing breeze that often marks the arrival of fall.  Personally, I find the trade-off of humidity and heat for the rustling of leaves at my feet innately calming, and reading writing like Cameron's often evokes in me that same sense of comfort. Perhaps I should know how to properly classify this sort of writing- richly descriptive yet instructional- but I am not sure I can. I dare say it felt almost meditative.

I distinctly remember this same reaction to writing during my first year at Rhode Island College. My first year writing professor assigned us some short, yet absolutely beautiful essays that left me feeling shocked. I had never confronted this kind of writing- these essays were argumentative but had the descriptive languages and imagery of a novel. These writers engaged not just my mind but my senses and their arguments felt much more robust for it. I think this is something Cameron addresses when, in chapter one, she writes "hitting a creative bull's eye, a sentence that precisely expresses what you see shimmering on the horizon- those sentences are worth the chase". When I read or write a sentence that feels as if it fits Cameron's description it is as if someone is saying, "I see and feel your humanity. Me too!"

Is this just me? Do you ever encounter writing that articulates something you could not find the words for yourself, and, in doing so, seems to evoke a sense of community/ connection?

With Cameron in mind, I moved on to the NCTE Article. This article inspired me and simultaneously stressed me out.

In the interest of keeping things positive, I want to first acknowledge how much I appreciated the section titled "Writing is embedded in complex social relationships and their appropriate languages."The article states, "the teaching of excellence in writing means adding language to what already exists, not subtracting." I really love this idea, and I think it can be related back to my earlier discussion of Cameron and writing as an invitation into community. Of course, I was speaking personally when I referred to Cameron's writing as "meditative" and I am happy to acknowledge that this particular kind of writing speaks to me but may not speak to everyone. The point is that everyone should be granted an opportunity to feel that welcoming, that connection, that recognition of self within writing. Perhaps it is useful to refer back to our first class and the short discussion we had about the truth that is often folded into writing- every student should be given an opportunity to not only write their truth, but write and read in a language or style that feels authentic to them.

I personally feel that writing is an exercise in presenting the world through the filter of your own unique perspective. Then, is it a denial of authentic expression to continually ask students to write in traditional English with proper grammar and structuring? At this moment in my life, with my limited experience in a classroom, I say yes.

I don't believe the NCTE article would disagree with me, but sometimes I feel a small shudder of stress come over me when I think about propelling my beliefs into practice. Has anyone else experienced this?

Here is a short TED talk in regards to English, the language, and an interesting article about code-switching in schools. Not to put too much emphasis on either, simply food for thought-- particularly in regards to what is lost when correct/ perfect/ comfortable English is overemphasized.