If this doesn’t make sense, sorry

When I think of all the different things that can affect the writing process of a student, my mind begins to spin. The idea that students are placed in the position of writing as professionals with the limited knowledge they have, intrigues me in two ways. First I think that it can help the student to an extent because it requires them to learn something and stretch their minds. At the same time it doesn’t really help them to become a better writer. I find myself agreeing with Ammon’s idea of teaching students in a younger setting the things we have been discussing. I think that requiring a student to contemplate how they write will in turn make them a better writer.
I have sat by and allowed myself to write to please the teacher instead of writing to simply write. This has caused me to become numb to the power of learning, how sweet it tastes, and the ability to grow. Every time I finish a tutoring session I am left with a feeling of pity for the student, most of them are missing that experience. I want to help the students do better. But teaching someone to write, from what sometimes seems like scratch, is a stunt worthy of super hero stature. I have had numerous experiences with students in which I could easily spend hours with them. Whether or not this would help the student is a matter for another blog. The point is that I feel like I need to go back to the beginning with these students and read them bedtime stories. Where do you start with a students that brings a paper in that has not one coherent thought weaved into its pages? I often find students afraid to write because they don’t want anyone to read it and think they are incompetent. In this situation I just ask the student to write. Write what they know or what they don’t know. (Teachers do it why can’t I?) I don’t think that we can waste an opportunity to turn some students on to the experience of learning. We have these opportunities all the time. We aren’t really working with colligate geniuses here. What we are supposed to be is a place that harbors independent learning. My suggestion is that some students have not been taught to learn. What is it? How do we teach it? I really have no idea. All I know is that most of us have hit that wall when we realize that we have to actually try in collage. It has to take priority in many of our daily activities. (No more afternoon cartoons Layne.) Its time to buckle down and live up to what we are supposed to be! Students here at WeberState are learning that later than they should be. Lets speed up that process. Lets make life hard. Lets not just do their homework for them; we have an opportunity to inspire them to learn. Lets take it.