Affective Dimensions of Writing

Writing and I have always had a love hate relationship. I really enjoy writing until there is a grade attached to it.  I feel that I am a good communicator but I’d rather express my thoughts and ideas through my writing.   Composition journals were really popular in my elementary school.  My teachers required we write journal entries at the end of every day before we left for home.  These entries were free write entries to help get our thoughts down on paper.  We weren’t graded for these but our teachers did read them to make sure we covered the assigned topic.   I think because of those composition journals I have been an avid journal writer through the years.  I have kept a personal journal since I was in 7^th grade and I just started my 8^th journal this year. When I entered junior high I started expressing my ideas through poetry, art and photography.  I found myself really enjoying expressing my thoughts in abstract ways.  When I entered high school I really got into blogging and poetry writing.  I started my first blog in 10^th grade and have been blogging ever since.  I started entering my poetry into local and international poetry contests and have since become a published poet.  I currently still keep a journal, write poetry, photography and have now taken part in social media.  I really enjoy staying in contact with friends and family through Facebook and Instagram, and I am also able to share my photography through these internet sources. I have written a fair amount of papers in my school career.  Sometimes I enjoy writing them and sometimes I want to gouge my eyes out after 15 hours of trying to finish a 25 page research paper for English 2010. Through the years I have learned that I only enjoy writing papers that put very few restrictions on my creativity.  I dislike those papers that are cut and dry.  I don’t like when there are unrealistic word limits and when teachers are not very clear with their expectations.  My biggest pet peeve right now is when professors give instructions that say: “Write one substantial paragraph that gives substantial details on the 5 articles you just read but it cannot go over 5 sentences long.”  SAY WHAT?? After reflecting on this blog post I recognize how much I appreciated those teachers that helped me expound on my creativity through other dimensions.  I will structure my writing prompts the same way.  I will have composition journals which are not graded for students to get their thoughts out candidly.  I will create writing assignments that will increase student’s knowledge through papers, journals, art, photography etc.  I understand that grades will have to be attached to writing but I want to teach my students that writing should not be a scary thing.  I want them to have the opportunity to express freely and be recognized for their efforts. 

Connecting School and Home Exepriences

As a child I was always surrounded by experiences related to the family and consumer science discipline.  I loved observing the way my mom worked in the kitchen, decorated our house, washed our clothes, and sewed our Halloween costumes every year. As I got older I became increasingly interested in what I was observing and wanted to take those observations and put them into action.  Luckily my mom was patient and let me ask question after question until I had mastered the skills that I was so determined to learn.  Seeing the end results are what motivated me to continue finding other opportunities to learn.  As I got older my curiosity grew stronger and I wanted to be exposed to more experiences of homemaking skills.  I started babysitting because it was like playing “house.”  I could take care of children, make dinner, clean house, and get paid all at the same time.  I wanted to take on the role of a mother so quickly that I rightfully earned the nickname of “Suzy Homemaker” because I wanted to do it all!!  When I entered high school I had a lot of positive experiences in my FACS classes.  It was nice to learn the purpose behind all of the hobbies that I had taken up over the years.  I particularly remember the exact day my high school interior design teacher explained to me what a family and consumer science degree entailed.   

I almost fell to the floor in complete amazement!!

The heavens had opened and my brain went into an overload of excitement! 

I thought she was joking! I couldn't believe there was a college degree that encompassed all of the things that I had grown up enjoying doing so much.  I think it is safe to say these past experiences most definitely shaped the way I thought about this discipline, and my thoughts are still the same today.  In my future classroom I plan to teach my students the relationship between classroom learning and real life learning.  I will show them how the skills they learn in my classroom can be implemented outside of the classroom.   I will share personal experiences about how I have benefited from FACS skills.   I will be sure to make every lesson relatable to each student so they can interpret in a way that they can fully understand.  I will strive to help them understand that observing is one of the biggest teaching tools to possess.  I will explain that observing teaches us to look outside the social norm and standard ways of learning.