On just my first day as a teaching assistant, I already learned some things. I haven't been anywhere near an intro writing course in six years, so I wasn't sure what they would learn or write. This course doesn't even count for students' required English course; it's a precursor to the composition course all students are required to take. Upon enrolling for their first semester, all incoming students needing an English course take a writing placement exam. Most are recommended for the highest level of the three classes. Some, however, are placed in one of the two lower courses, but those who place in the middle level have the option to take the highest level if they feel they are ready. This class is the second level, in the middle between fairly strong writers and weaker writers.
The students in this class, then, were able to register for the highest level, but chose not to. I was unaware that they had this choice until the first day, but it was encouraging to know that the students took the class intentionally in order to develop their skills before taking the required course. The professor had them introduce themselves, and each was asked why they were in the course. Most of the reasons were what I expected, but a few shocked me. Here is a list of the reasons given:
1.
"I want to become a better writer."
This was the most common response by far. Though not an unreasonable, or even surprising, thing to hear from this particular group of students, the phrasing bothered me. I was excited that so many seemed sincerely willing to learn and improve, but the unstated assumption here is that they all believe that they are bad writers. Some even said this while sounding dejected - perhaps worried about their "bad" writing.
2. "I'm a terrible writer."
Though similar to the previous reason, I felt this one was even worse. Only one girl said this, but she truly believed it. The professor must have had the same reaction as I did, because she asked the girl why she felt she was "terrible," but the student was unable to really give a specific answer. I have yet to see her writing, and don't know how much I will see throughout the semester, but I really hope that by the end, she no longer uses this word to describe her writing - or, worse, to describe herself as a writer.
3.
"I want to learn to write a college paper."
This, again, only came from one student. Most, if not all, of the students in this class are fresh out of high school. I can hardly remember how we wrote papers in high school, but if I'm correct, it was mostly just summaries and info-dumps. I've always enjoyed and felt that I have excelled at writing, but when I came to college and was asked to write analyses and persuasive papers and research papers, I was so lost. I hope this class will ease the transition from high school writing to college writing for these students. I'm really glad that at least one of them realized there is a difference between the two types of papers, and that they will now be challenged more - many of us are unaware of this until we are thrown in head-first.
4.
"I think faster than I write."
Oh man, do I understand this one. Sometimes my ideas come so quickly that I have to slow down and make bulleted lists before continuing, or just toss my ideas onto the page as they come and organize them later. This is important, and it was good to hear that this student recognized this in herself. I think it's something a lot of writers do, and probably the way to overcome it is by finding a way to get your ideas down before they're gone.
5.
"I want to learn to talk right."
This one made the whole class, including the student who said it, break into laughter. Speaking correctly is good not only for speaking, but also for writing. I truly believe that writing well can help you speak well, and vice versa. I think this student has come to the right place!
6.
"I need to learn how to make my writing less choppy." "I need work on transitions."
I lumped these two together because they were similar and were from the same student. This was the only specific explanation given about why someone believes they are a "bad" writer. It was refreshing to see that one of them understood exactly what needed improvement. The other students didn't necessarily have to specify, but it makes me realize how hard it can sometimes be to identify the problems you can have when writing; you know you have them, you just don't know what they are.
7.
"I need help with grammar."
When this one was said, my immediate thought was "college classes don't teach grammar." At least that's what I've been told since I first set foot on campus. But then the professor said that they will have two grammar tests for the semester. Although there's still the part of me thinking "they should have learned that already, they should know how to use proper grammar," I know that's (unfortunately) not always the case. Many don't seem to understand most grammar rules, and others seem to have trouble with a few ambiguous or confusing rules. I really hope that the grammar tests help them improve and feel more confident in their writing.
I was glad to hear the students' reasons for enrolling in an optional writing course rather than the higher level course they would have to take eventually anyway, because I realized that they all wanted to learn and, of course, "become better writers."
