Week 6 Term 2 - Write to learn

Since 4th Form (Year 10) I developed a fascination with writing. I can remember my 4th Form English teacher assigning a writing assessment where we had to write a profile on influential people in our community. She then handed me a piece of writing by a Samoan journalist (I can't remember her name) and I remember feeling inspired by the article. The article profiled the different up and coming Pacific Island musicians at the time. I was not inspired by who she was profiling but more so how she profiled them. The way she articulated her perspective on who, what, why and how they rose to fame took me on a journey. It sounds incredibly corny but I it was this piece of writing that got me.

For the duration of my learning journey at school and into university, my intention was to become a journalist. When I enrolled at university I majored in Film, Television and Media Studies. In my second year of university I decided to do a double major Film, Television and Media Studies/English Literature and Language. I took papers like POPMUS (Popular Music Studies: understanding popular culture in music) and any English paper that Dr Stephen Turner lectured (he was one of my favorite lecturers during my time at university). The daily dosage of popular culture, music, writing and reading fueled my writing. I was all in. I was interested. Near the end of my tertiary studies I had an internship at Spacifik Magazine and later at Tagata Pasifika. Both experiences were great in that they opened my eyes to the world of visual and print media. I saw firsthand that this industry is cutthroat and that in most in cases, in order to secure a job it is more about 'who you know' than 'what you know.' The instinct to network and 'get out there' is almost non-existent with me. I knew that this probably was not the pathway for me. I followed most of my cohort and enrolled in the Post Graduate Secondary Teaching program. I did not know what to do with my degree, I had always hoped to venture into the world of journalism. At the time, I do not think that I had the courage or patience for it. So the teaching world was in a way, my default option - I did it because everyone I knew at the time were doing it. In some way you can say that the rest is history. Reflecting on this now, I can accept that my journalism career was not meant to be. At the same time my want to write was something that I had written off, or shelved and just left there. 

I had no inspiration, motivation or anything worth writing about. I parked this dream and for almost a decade, left it there. When it comes to teaching writing to students, getting their buy in is important. Even if it means allowing the student to choose whatever topic they want to write (even if it is about Mindcraft or Fortnite). What I found from teaching writing is that the best writing is a result of a great conversation. Conversational teaching and learning is one of the best ways to produce good, solid writing. The last two years have been full on both professionally and personally. The experiences both in my profession but also in my journey have given me much to talk and write about. This blog - a place to reflect - has been the platform for me to express my opinion on a variety of topics and also find healing. Many people have their own reasons on why they write. I am interested to see the students thoughts on this. I write to learn. I learn from reflection. I learn about myself through my writing (even if it is cringe-worthy). Whatever the case, finding a purpose in writing is important. The art of writing is complex but it is important and necessary.  

The English Department are currently working on a Year 10 Intensive Writing Program. This is our response to the E Asttle Y10 Writing data from Term 1. The areas for improvement and gaps in writing are sufficient and need attention. We are working alongside Dr Jannie who has a wealth of knowledge. The draft of the program is in it's final stages. I look forward to documenting this. Ultimately the heart of the program is get students engage with writing, even if they do not like it. At least be good at it. The program is designed around the student's selecting a topic that they want to write about and then providing the fundamental steps in sentence and paragraph structure. I think an important part of this program is for all involved, especially the educators, to share on why they write or what appeals to them when it comes to writing. Maybe I will share why I write in the hope that they can learn something new.