Public Writing - Chapter 5

I chose to write about the topic of "Public Writing" from our Content-Area Writing textbook because this is the kind of writing I dislike the most.  Public writing can be described as "intentional, highly-polished pieces that can go out into the world, connect with real readers, get some work done, and stand up to scrutiny."  In other words, this differs from the "Writing to Learn" techniques discusses in previous posts. This is writings such as term papers, formal lab reports, or critical analyses.  I know what you're thinking right now, "You mean you're going to be a teacher and you don't like writing term papers!?" Yes, that is correct.  I do not like writing term papers, but it isn't so much the actual research and writing of the paper I dislike, it's the time-table that usually comes along with it.  If I were only taking one class and I had to write a term paper, I would be more than thrilled, and it would likely be better than anything I have written.  That being said, if I am taking four classes, I likely would not put in the time I feel is necessary to complete a great piece of public writing.

So how do I get my students interested and excited to write a term paper for my future classes, seeing as they will be taking so many other classes?  Do I assign public writing at all?  Yes, I will definitely assign public writing.  Why?  Because of how necessary it is to be successful in today's society.  Just about any field you go into, you are expected to be be able to write formally and publicly.  I also hope that my students will learn from their writing and the writing of their fellow students.  Also, one of the things it talks about in the chapter is giving the students choice when it comes to their writing topics.  As a teacher, "we are the ones who have to read them, after all, and then we are bored after the first three papers" if we assign the same topic to each student.  The purpose of public writing is to get your audience interested in your topic, and get them to learn something new, or change their opinion about something they already knew.  Teachers become a terrible audience for their students if they can't even be informed by their writing topic.

By using the steps given in the chapter in order to make public writing in classrooms possible, I can hope that my students will create excellent pieces of public writing.  First, I need to give my students some level of choice in the selection of writing topics.  Secondly, I need to give time to write in class.  As the authors state, "We cannot leave them alone to write any more than we'd leave them along to dissect a fetal pig or cook up some chemical reactions."  Lastly, I need to give them helpful and timely response.  I can't wait until the students turn their work in to give feedback.  I hope that I am able to implement these strategies for my students so that both myself and my students can grow and learn in the public writing process.