Cover Letter
July 11, 2006
Dear Fellows,
I have been involved with the Marshall University site of the National Writing Project Summer Institute. I teach middle school at Enslow here in Huntington. My job title is Special Education Mental Impairment, Learning Disabilities, and Behavioral Disorders. Through my job I have been exposed to many differing styles of teaching. Since I graduated I write very little for any reason, much less for pleasure.
The class has helped provide insight into my abilities and insecurities as a writer. The fellows at the Marshall site have been very helpful in developing my voice through text. Our group is composed of many teachers from different areas around the Tri-State that teach a variety of grades and content areas. By having this diverse group working together to achieve our common goal of completing an e-portfolio and publishing it on the web.
My writing has gone through a difficult transformation, beginning at personal writing that is not meant for anyone but myself to read and ending with polished works that have been reviewed and revised by many people at differing stages of completion. I have gained insight to my personal motives in regards to how I write and for whom. In the past I would staunchly oppose any revision beyond editing for grammatical errors. This is the most significant change I have noticed. Traditionally, I do not share anything I write with anyone.
The demonstrations that have been presented in the class have been very informative and beneficial for all involved. They have exposed us all to many different ways of presenting information to students that will engage them in the writing process and assist them in understanding new information. Jason Morison’s demo was on 9/11 ad I realized I had never tried to write about an event as Earth shaking as this in my lifetime.
Some demonstrations have been web-based, as mine was, and others were more traditional in nature. This diversity exemplifies the diverse group we have assembled for the class. Through this process I have opened my horizons to alternative teaching styles and delivery methods. I have not provided much time for free writing in the past and I need to address this in my room. There is a soothing effect from writing that I have been blind to until now.
In the past I have had my own room and my own classes as well as co-teaching situations working with veteran teachers who have proved invaluable to my experience as a teacher. Summer Institute has been a condensed version of a school year. I worked with people ranging from preschool teachers to college professors. The diversity in backgrounds has led to some very helpful experiences and lively exchanges due to differing views and philosophies.
I ended up with some very nice essays, poems, and finally my demonstration, which will be presented to colleagues in the fall. Choosing which writing to use for each required piece of the portfolio has been the most difficult challenge so far. Each piece was crafted with care and required much effort.
For my creative piece I chose a conglomeration of several essays I composed for different assignments. Each piece broached my opinions on art and who calls themselves artists. This brought out some very strong emotions relating to my experiences and philosophies. As the revision group helped me realize that I need to organize and solidify a clear opinion. I worked more and more on it, I began to gain clarity on how I really feel about art and artists. I have always surrounded myself with creative people and filled my home with pieces composed by these dear friends. They (people and works) make my life more meaningful and provide a comfortable refuge from the world outside.
The technology piece is also a topic that I feel strongly about. As a young teacher, I have come up in the current model of delivering education to the masses. I was in the first class of sixth graders that attended middle school in Cabell County Schools and have seen consolidation steal neighborhoods’ identities and ownership over their children’s future.
As a beginning professional I have strong feeling about the successes and failures of our educational system. No Child Left Behind was my first choice for topics. This is a topic that I, as a Special Ed. Teacher, have very heated emotions tied to. However, this has been done to death and I then decided to move onto the piece I chose dealing with the discrepancy between teachers’ and students’ abilities using current technologies. Being of the generation that I am, now charged with educating, I feel I could provide some much needed insight into the discussion concerning technology in the classroom.
Each time that poetry was the focus of any exercise I groaned inside. Although I love to read poetry, I have never fancied myself as a poet. This feeling of inadequacy remains even after completing this course. This is also much of the thrust behind my creative piece. Too many people fancy themselves as poets and what I regard as wonderful poetry is more poignant and harsh than what most people prefer. I despise flowery and confusing poetry. Shoot me straight and I will return the favor.
I had difficulty taking the early education exercises seriously. Having done clinical experiences in these settings I will never take a job with young children. These experiences have cemented my prior feelings of terror in the presence of young children. I did, however, enjoy the hands-on activities that accompanied each of the demonstrations.
The most enjoyable writing was dealing with my opinions on technology and access to technology in public schools. This has been a major complaint of mine since I have begun my career. With all of the money being thrown around locally, at the state level, and nationally through initiatives and legislation you would think that more equipment would be on site in the schools. Technology is the future of our society and economy and omitting these components from the curriculum seems asinine.
