Last of the Term, already?

The more I read through Dr. Bomer’s book, the more I see how his vision is impacting me throughout this term. Although I had not read any of his texts until this semester, having him in class as well as those who work (and live) closely to him has molded me to be quite ready to lean heavily on what he presents in Building Adolescent Literacy.

Two quotes from the second half of the book stick out to me as representative practice for larger themes of education in my mind: a) students should be responsive to and responsible for more fill-in-the-blank, as the most important participant in their education; and b) teachers need to find a level of comfort in acting and believing that they are not the most important participant in a student’s education.

The first had to do with writing notebooks and how their use and purpose can create a realm that is not duplicated in the classroom, where control belongs to the student, a concept that is merely abstract or even make-believe in most young people’s lives: “By and large, notebooks are locations for students to work on self-control of the literacy that allows them to name experience, construct identities, and imagine powerful social positions” (195).

The second idea comes from conferencing with students. Bomer characterizes the interplay between student and teacher as a dance, and I see much truth in that – not the kind I had to learn that was choreographed for performances, but one that is not self-serving in “who-knows- the-moves-best” or dominating in “this-is-what-you-should-do”. He makes strong suggestions and will lead in the dance, but the decisions are left up to the partner: “What is most important is that they take on the process of decision making in revision for themselves, so I need to temper my strong opinions with respect for their agency, to reign in my expertise with questions to help them think through their purpose, audience, aesthetic intentions, motives, and reasons” (209).

I appreciate his not-so-teachery box on letting go of rules that are not “rules” on page 218 (so many have-tos and can’ts get in the way of finding fluency and hinder the creation of meaning) and his acknowledgment of student struggles with revision, often seen as a punishment of extra writing, and emphasizing a circular process to writing. I think it also valuable to discuss with students the fact that published pieces have multiple people review and edit before printing. His treatment of new technologies in association with literacies is also important, especially the idea of “composing with velocity” in that now, anyone with access to the internet can be a published writer with the simple touch or click of a button. It is important for students to see that the quick publishing is not the only way writers work, but it is definitely the way that they will face one-shot writing tests. I am glad that although he obviously does not advocate the standardized testing, he does not write for a world where the things he likes just disappear. Chapter 16 “Working Toward Tests Without Insulting Students’ Intelligence” is an important place for teachers who are disillusioned by the current state of affairs in test prep.