Memo #5: Taking Stock and Making Sense

Throughout the course of this project, I have been able to mostly stay on track.  However, that does not mean there have not been a few, slight hiccups along the way.  I am still on the look-out for secondary sources which will fit my purposes properly.  However, as far as primary sources, I have more information than I could have hoped for.  The time has almost come for me to bring this project to a close.

At this point in the process, I understand that students have, and always will have, varying feelings about writing.  Some love it, some hate it, and others could not care less.  It has been an interesting journey for me to get into the minds of many students and figure out how they feel about this staple of education.  It has been very surprising to me how many students have claimed to love writing.  Honestly, I was not expecting such a warm reception toward the subject from so many participants.  However, it is deeply frustrating to me why some students do not like writing.  From what I have been told, their distaste for the activity stems from situations which could have been easily avoided by instructors.

As far as conclusions go, it took me quite some time to realize that there is no true “conclusion” for my topic.  It is always fluid and changing, just as the students whose opinions I have gathered are always changing and becoming.  There is still one thing that has been bothering me, though.  How can I use the information I have gathered to help me become a great teacher?  Furthermore, how can I encourage my future students to be passionate in their engagement with writing?  I suppose these questions do not have simple answers; if they did, I would not need to ask them.  Time will tell if this project will be able to help me along my way toward becoming a teacher of writing.