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Megan Wyatt
Dr. Leslie Cook
English 3580
8 December 2015
Final Reflective Essay
Wow. I think that I have come a long way since the beginning of the semester. Before
taking this class, I had no idea how I was going to be a teacher of writing. I did not believe in
myself as a writer, and I lacked the knowledge and confidence to teach writing. This class has
given me so much. I have gained many useful tools in continuing my writing experience, and I
now have many resources for my future classroom. One of the most important things I was able
to gain from this class was the practice of composing a lesson and conducting it in an actual
classroom setting.
The first growth I would like to discuss is my own personal growth as a writer. Before
taking this class, I thought that I was finished learning how to write, and I thought I would never
become a great writer. However, after taking this class I see that writing is a process in which one
continues to develop over the course of ones life through experiences and practice. One way this
class has helped to encourage me to become a better writer is through the assigned reading. I
found the text book Inside Out by Kirby and Liner to be a very inspiring text. At the beginning of
each chapter, an inspirational quote from a great writer is included. A quote that really stands out
to me is by Toni Morrison in chapter 4. The quote is as follows:
When you first start writing---and I think its true for a lot of beginning writers---youre
scared to death that if you dont get that sentence right that minute its never going to
show up again. And it isnt. But it doesnt matter---another one will, and itll probably be
better. And I dont mind writing badly for a couple of days because I know I can fix it
and fix it again and again and again, and it will be better. Toni Morrison (42).

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This quote specifically stands out to me because it encourages the writer to never give up even
when ones writing is terrible. The text was full of inspirational quotes that made me feel that
even I could become a teacher of writing.
Another important thing I gained from this class is an endless amount of resources that I
can utilize in my classroom. All three of the text books were filled with examples of lessons and
activities from teaching voice in writing to developing claims. A tool that I found very useful
during my readings was the sticky note annotation activity. The activity helped me as a reader to
find the important parts of the text. It also allowed me to have the main ideas of the text written
down after each reading. I think I will use this tool in my classroom, because if students are able
to identify the main points in reading, they will develop concise main points in their own
writings.
This class was also very fun for me as a writer. It was my first entertaining experience
with writing, and it helped me to be more involved and open-minded towards my writing. For
example, all of the meaningful activities about ourselves that we preformed really encouraged
me to love writing. The activity where we composed a list of 100 things we love gave me
inspiration and desire to write. I want my classroom to be like that. I want for my kids to be so
very passionate about their writings. I think a private day book like the one we had will be a
good way to get students to open up during writing. I also have learned from this classroom that
writing is something that should not be judged too harshly by a teacher. I have always had the
fear of the red pen, and I do not want my students to dislike writing for fear of making mistakes.
This class was full of reflecting. It makes me realize the importance of reflection for a
writer. Reflection is the key to improvement, and it is the beginning of new ideas. After each
week we would reflect on our experiences in the classroom. During my reflections I was able to
synthesize my thoughts and decide what information I thought was most important. I now have a

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detailed recollection of the readings and activities we completed in class, and I hope to use these
as tools in my future writing classroom.
I think that the mini lessons were my favorite part of this teaching writing class. I enjoyed
seeing all of the creative and unique ideas of my peers; I enjoyed being excited about learning.
However, I enjoyed planning and teaching my lessons more than anything. Before my first
lesson, I was terrified to present in front of the whole classroom. I was worried about everything
going wrong. I was worried that it would be too short or that no one would participate. But in the
end, everything was okay. My lesson turned out way better than I ever thought it would. I learned
that I could instruct a great lesson with a lot of thought and preparation. After my experience
teaching mini lessons I know how to create a lesson plan and I know how to refer to the
standards to justify my reasoning in a rational. I also now have the confidence to go in front of a
group of people and teach a lesson. Before this class, I was not sure I had the courage to teach.
I have gained much in this class. I have learned to view myself and others as a writer in
progress. I have learned techniques to make my students become better writers. I have had
practice delivering lessons. I am still learning, and I am still struggling with my weakness as a
writer. The weaknesses that I need to improve are self-confidence in my writing and learning
how to improve my manner as a teacher by walking around the room during independent work. I
plan to use what I have learned in this classroom to inspire my future students to have a love for
writing.

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Works Cited
Kirby, Dan. Dawn Kirby, and Tom Liner. Inside Out: Strategies for Teaching Writing.
Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 2003. Print.