For ten years (1991-2001), I served on the Ohio Department of Education's Ninth Grade Writing Proficiency Committee. I enjoyed the position so much. Twice a year we would meet in Columbus to prepare for the upcoming writing assessment and set score points for the state test. During these week-long sessions, we would grade hundreds and hundreds of student papers to set accurately the four-point scale for each writing prompt. It was lots of work, but so rewarding as we Ohio teachers, members of the Department of Education, and representatives from the Testing Company would critically set criteria for ninth-grade writing.
In addition to the meetings in Columbus, two representatives from the committee would travel each session to the testing facility to aid on-site training and grading. The first year, I went to the San Antonio, Texas facility, and in following years I made many trips to Measurement Incorporated's Greensboro, North Carolina facility. What wonderful people I met there – both testing staff and graders who worked tirelessly to meet critical standards of proficiency assessment.
I made many friends on the committee and learned so much about writing and scoring papers for standards of proficiency. I was able to bring new knowledge back to my own school – Valley High School in Lucasville, Ohio – and apply it in my own classrooms. I felt as if our students did exceedingly well on their state writing tests. Armed with up-to-date, meaningful information based on recent research, I helped so many students apply themselves and write skillful essays to pass their high school graduation requirements. I was so blessed with amazing, caring students. They made teaching writing a pleasure.
I graduated from Valley myself in 1969, and I was blessed with excellent English teachers there. Mrs. Peebles, Mrs. Romanello, and Mrs. Distel were huge influences in my life and in my chosen career. They were all masters in their field who encouraged us to excel. Without their skilled expertise and direction, I would never have become a teacher, much less someone who taught composition on the senior high school level. I owe them everything for my development. From my high school English teachers, I learned to use creative thinking to find voice and meaning in my writing.
Mrs. Distel had our 12th Grade English Class write scripts and produce 8mm movies. At the time, this was a bold, revolutionary idea. I'm sure she had to defend her decision to pursue this study to the administration in order to allow us that freedom. She gave us full reign of subject matter and theme (within certain limits, of course). We really enjoyed making our own dramas and narratives that year. Becoming treasures we kept forever, the final products were given to our class by Mrs. Distel – they are now a staple of every five-year reunion of the Class of 69. We had adults who believed in us, and that made such a difference.
As I became an English teacher myself, I concentrated on writing, and I was also fortunate enough to attend the Ohio Writing Project at Miami University for graduate-level instruction. This experience was simply the best – both our instruction and our seminar-like design opened new doors for me.
If you're wondering whether I had planned to teach during my time in high school, I can honestly attest I did not. I recently reviewed an old yearbook, and I did not find my image among those in the Future Teacher's photo. In fact, entering Ohio University, I planned on working in journalism, and I completed twenty hours of classes in reporting, advertising, and the like during my first two years.
An Aside
I learned that my talents may be found in my interests. I loved my English classes and the opportunities they presented me to explore writing, prose, and poetry. These classes seemed to come natural for me, and my mom, a secretary for many years, set me straight with grammar and usage. That Old School mentality always served me well. In attempting to understand the formal language and all its conventions, I found theories everywhere that applied to better comprehension and concise composition.
When I taught, I insisted on proper usage as a great aid to writing. I used every “trick in the book” to instill the Old School usage in my students. In retrospect, I believe many had never applied theory to usage even though they had studied English every year. In the senior year of high school, the ACT prep becomes so meaningful to college entrance. Most of the students I taught used our senior ACT usage review to tighten their mechanics. So many went on to teach themselves … English teachers teaching potential English teachers. That was my past, and it became the same path for many of my students.
It never dawned on me that I was resisting my own desires and talents until late in my second year of college. Then, feeling a great need to declare a major, I became a secondary school English student, and I found myself finishing all the requirements for the degree in a field largely populated by females. I became a unique commodity – one with a slightly different point-of-view and a genuine rowdy streak. But, once again, excellent profs kept my mind to the grindstone, and I found college English to be challenging but enjoyable.
We wrote tons and tons of papers in Ohio University; it was my writing ability that pulled me through the concentrated load. I owe professors like Schwartz and Jacobs for their critical analysis and honest critique of my work. They presented challenges, and it was up to me to complete assignments to meet their tight standards. Being an English teacher carried huge obligations to “getting it right.”
When I began teaching at Valley High, I was scared shitless. I was back managing a classroom with fellow schoolmates of a few years before. They all knew me – and knew me more as a buddy and an athlete than as an aspiring English teacher. The adjustment was rather difficult – with all of the planning, grading, discipline, extracurriculars, etc.
However, more than a few of my students were so intelligent and so dedicated that I found them a great inspiration. I took it upon myself to be the best I could be … for them, not for me. Students like Mary Dobbins and Dave Turner were so helpful. They cared, studied hard, and asked for my advice, and I didn't want to disappoint them. I knew if I kept a page or two ahead of them, I could become successful myself. Very soon, I discovered the gospel truth of teaching: your students not only provide you great direction but also drive you to become more. The more you put into them, the more you improve. I loved these youth so much. I love them as adult friends today.
Why did I find the most enjoyment in teaching writing? I really think I wanted to help students express themselves with all of their various moods and ideas. I wanted to help them with their important voices. After all, I'm a Baby Boomer who was schooled in the 60s. It was an exciting time, and my teachers provided me those opportunities to explore my ideas on paper. With a hand on my shoulder, they guided my journey with the written word. The liberty even spilled into other interests – hobbies such as music and causes such as civil rights and justice.
From my first years as a high school teacher, I wanted to pass along my strong beliefs that writing is power and finding truth through the pen is liberating and exciting. I always taught my students that the truth has two obligations – an inner obligation to what you believe is true, and an outer obligation to the truths of the world in which they live. For my entire life, I have worked with teens who do amazing things when challenged. I knew from personal experience that nothing worth believing or fighting for comes without sacrifice … successes, failures, and droughts of pleasing pretty much only yourself.
To close, I can't imagine my life without teaching. I love nothing more now than to follow the successful lives – and the inevitable downs – of my ex-students. The Valley School System continues to be a hotbed of young achievement. The school with its diversity of teachers strives for excellence. That's very important to instill in the minds of young people. Reaching makes improvement. They all complained about the difficulty of my composition classes until they graduated and stepped into the reality of their own independence. The little light in their heads came on. I truly believe they discovered that competent writing was among their greatest tools.
A caveat to consider – I believe limiting or censoring a young person's voice – written or otherwise – can destroy his/her character. I worry about recent efforts to make schools places that permit only one viewpoint or places where heterogeneity is discouraged for fear of indoctrination. And, I believe the same is true about stifling teachers' First Amendment rights of expression must prevail. Teaching is a difficult job as it it, and it requires an instructor to respect the thoughts and lifestyles of all students.
Above all, I fully understand that you, as a teacher, cannot lie to students and gain their respect – you cannot tell them half-truths, over-filter the content of instruction, whitewash the reality, or spread misinformation. In their youthful exuberance and young vision, they are fully capable of throwing the oppressive, false bridles imposed on their minds and discovering, for themselves, the reality of the situation. This critical thinking is their greatest asset in a world where leaders seek to impose robotic, programmed thinking.
The absolute best compositions I have ever read from high school students … and, believe me, I have read tens or even hundreds of thousands from all ages and from every corner of Ohio … come from their individual hearts, minds, and souls. Their truthful writings flow freely in a wonderful mixture of conscious thought and subconscious fluency that illuminates with power, grace, and accuracy what they know is right. I simply read it, marveled at its richness, and felt so privileged that they allowed me to share in its creation, its revision, and its publication. Please, don't ever take this away from our youth. They deserve all opportunities to shine their strong light. Be a continuing advocate for youthful expression. And, as adults, don't forget to read, listen, and learn: young people have so much to say.
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