My name is Jay Lewenstein, and I teach composition courses on multiple community college campuses. Over the past few years, I've developed a writing club out of each of my classrooms. We call ourselves COD Friends of the Earth; IVC Friends of the Earth….
At the end of each semester I try to publish student writing in a classroom website, or blog. This is the way I see it: the work of my past students will help guide the work of my current and future students. My goal is to give my students a greater voice for people and issues they dearly care about. To become more actively involved in their own education. To make a difference in their own communities.
This winter, I created Jay’s Last-Exit Blog. I tried to represent a wide swath of student work from my Spring 2023 students. In between snippets of work and links to student essays, I include highlights of classroom activities and writing projects.
I feel student publication is valuable. The writing here reflects the diversity of student interest and concern. In her research paper about Cesar Chavez, Alissa Padilla writes about protest and change right here in California in 1960s. Many of my English 201 students encourage disucssion about mental health issues. We live in stressful times; my students offer their personal insight and coping mechanisms. In these times of isolation and despair, their writing brings us closer together.
The first week of the semester I ask students to design their own "About Me" Pages for submission on our Canvas Discussion Board. For their convenience, I provide graphic organizer templates to jumpstart their creations.
I encourage students to share what they think is meaningful and/or important. If they want to draw pictures, that's cool. If they want to upload pictures from ther computer files, that will work.
I ask them, "How do you want to REPRESENT yourself to your classmates? " I chose Running, Cooking, Spanish, and Gardening. I wrote something about my teaching philosophy. You can see my teacher's model for the assignment above. I went Old-School. I'm an old guy. Technology-challenged. Students are free to write what they want. They decide on their designs. IT'S ALL GOOD!
The About Me pages help me create a postive, collaborative environment in the classroom or online. Each week I ask my students to participate on our class discussion boards. These assignments are designed to reinforce critical thinking and writing skills. Active participation will contribute to a positive learning environment. For many of my students, their first few years in college will be the most memorable time of their lives. THEY WERE FOR ME! The discussion boards promote meaningful connections with their classmates.
This type of interaction doesn't happen every day. I'm betting that the opportunity for my students to share their own personal experience and creativity will open new doors for their writing. Quite often, the ideas they share on their About Me pages – in some shape or form – are reflected in their final essays.
The result is Jay’s Last-Exit Blog.
Paz,
JL