Mitra's Response to "2008 NCTE Presidential Address..."

I would have loved to have heard this speech in person. I was so inspired by the comparison of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence to Barack Obama, and I really enjoyed the history lesson this speech provided.

"Writing has never been accorded the cultural respect or support that reading has enjoyed..." (p. 318). This seems so obvious, but I have never thought of writing in this way.

When I was teaching, I used to talk to parents about the things we do, as parents and even some teachers, to take the joy and pleasure out of reading and writing and turn them into "jobs." Some examples include forcing students to write a certain number of pages, read a certain number of minutes, or stick with a book they are not enjoying. As a teacher, I instituted a thirty page rule for all independent reading, meaning students could give up on a book if it didn't capture their interest after thirty pages. If we want students to enjoy reading as entertainment, we have to give them the option to turn away from reading that fails to entertain them. A parent would not be likely to force a child to watch a television show that was not entertaining.

Of course, there are exceptions. And times when students have to stick with texts that don't engage them. But the foundation of reading for pleasure and entertainment should be in place first.

Reading this speech made me realize how often I feel as I am writing, that my writing is going to be judged or assessed. I almost never feel that way with reading. Even in responding to these articles, I am not worried that someone is going to tell me that I am got it "wrong"- but I do worry that my writing style, form, grammar, or voice may be subject to criticism. I joked to my husband that no one writes "for pleasure" or curls up with a good laptop before bed the way we do with books.

As described in the speech, I too am a victim of bad handwriting instruction. "Handwriting" was the only class I ever failed in elementary and middle school. I had to stay after every day in Mrs. Lucas's sixth grade class to practice my handwriting. As a result, I now have the handwriting of an architect and worry if even my grocery list is sloppy. Perhaps it is this early that we start to take the joy out of writing?