Authentic Voice: Inside

Striking a Chord with Voice Dialogue A Publication of the San Diego Area Writing Project Fall 2012 Authentic Voice: Inside... An Heroic Journey in Writing Fall Conference Callie Ryan Brimberry, SDAWP 2008 Highlights . 9 Demi Brown Finding one’s authentic voice is similar to embarking on a heroic journey. You don’t just Authentic Voice . 10 wake up one day and discover yourself as an authentic writer. Developing voice takes Heather Bice time: one must dabble in different techniques, sample various styles, and even practice remixing numerous pieces one finds appealing. Throughout the journey students will no A Poem . 11 doubt taste the thrill of adventure as their abilities are realized, only to refuse the call Kira Elliot when the task of writing becomes too overwhelming. The dauntless will face many ob- stacles, including the infamous writer’s block, only to fail repeatedly in preparation to suc- Young Writers' ceed epically. However, with mentor texts serving as a guide, and a plethora of allies in the Camp Authors . 12-13 forms of authentic audience, academic language, writing groups, and genuine feedback Fiama Albarrán and reflection, students will soon empower themselves with the ability to transform from Eliana Meza-Ehlert those who write to fulfill requirements into confident writers. Shivank Nayak Mia Redelings The Journey Begins: Self-Discovery and the Willingness to be Uncomfortable Maya Wu “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned An Educators Journey so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” through Writing —Joseph Campbell Response Groups . 14 Cynthia Larkin Every year, both teachers and students enter the classroom alone in search of who they are, and more importantly, in search of who they have the potential to become. I can recall SDAWP Voices . 19 preparing for my first day of teaching seven years ago: I wore my “I’m all business and you will respect me suit” and marched into the classroom envisioning a jousting match The Literary Canon between the students and me. I knew one of us would leave the winner, and with my shiny and My Students: new armor, I selfishly hoped I would emerge the victor. Long story short: I most definitely Making the wasn’t, and the suit has never been worn again. Teaching and learning should not be im- Connections . 20 mersed in a struggle of power between student and teacher. Whether we like it or not, Breanne being the teacher provides us with an automatic privilege of power. That power should Lagomarsino never be used to declare ones “rightness” over a student’s “wrongness,” to silence a voice because it may be more influential than our own, or to marginalize another opinion be- Also included: cause we fear embarrassment. We ought, instead, to use that power to guide students into guiding themselves, as well as to provide them with a safe classroom for ideas and interac- tion. We must be willing to be uncomfortable together with our students so that we are not Congratulations alone in our warped safety nets. We must model the willingness to be wrong in order to SDAWP Fellows . 3 create the safety in which our students can stumble in order to succeed. Project Notes . 18 During my first day at the San Diego Area Writing Project Summer Institute, we read Mar- Dialogue garet Wheatley’s “Willing to be Disturbed,” and my teaching pedagogy was changed for- Call For Manuscripts . 19 ever: Muse Box . .. 23 We have to be willing to examine our practice, to be disturbed about what we think we Calendar of Events . 24 know about teaching and learning…We don’t really know what we’re doing; we’re teachers, we’re supposed to know, but we don’t know everything…I’m as unsure about all of this as you are unsure, but I believe grades, and creating arenas through ter be authentic too. we are doing the right thing. It is of which students have voices in the critical importance to this orga- curriculum. Sometimes it is neces- Choosing a Path: Writing for nization, of critical importance sary that one individual must suffer an Authentic Audience to our kids…Your classrooms are for the betterment of others; that in- learning labs; we want you be dividual is you. “Your sacred space is where you can exploring, looking, analyzing… find yourself over and over again.” (Wheatley 1). Again, society’s educational sys- —Joseph Campbell tem entitles teachers to the privi- So, teachers, take off the armor and lege of power, so we have to level “Mrs. Brim, I don’t know what to set aside the sword so that you won’t the playing field. We must be will- write about!” I can’t count the num- have to fall upon it while seeking ing to humbly offer moments of our ber of mornings that began with forgiveness from your students later. own educational experiences that made us feel embarrassed in order The Ultimate Sacrifice: to prohibit, or at least lessen, pos- I strongly believe that Acknowledging Humble sible moments of embarrassment authentic voices must Beginnings for our students. Over the years I have noticed several such instances be nourished in a “Getting a comedic view of your situ- that make students (or anyone in ation gives you spiritual distance. front of peers) shut down, such as classroom of trust and Having a sense of humor saves you.” mispronouncing words and being safety; students and —Joseph Campbell interrupted with corrections. Such instances encourage a fear of speak- teachers must treat I strongly believe that authentic ing in front of peers, a fear of being each other as equals voices must be nourished in a class- wrong about anything. If I expect room of trust and safety; students my students, all of whom are Eng- in all aspects and teachers must treat each other lish language learners, to read their as equals in all aspects of the class- writing aloud, I have to expect that of the classroom. room. This includes relying on re- these moments will arise. storative justice instead of authori- that phrase during my first few se- tative discipline, allowing formal I now spend the first day of class mesters of teaching. What’s worse: I platforms where students can ques- providing students with written an- had no idea how to respond. I didn’t tion instructional approaches and ecdotes of moments in the class- know what they should write about room that were uncomfortable for either, and they were growing sus- me as a student: my cheeks burn picious of the ridiculous number of in embarrassment as I read how I “free writes” I offered. And then I Dialogue mispronounced the character name read Ralph Fletcher’s A Writer’s Note- book Fall 2012 ‘Stacey’ as ‘Stacky’ for an entire and realized several key com- chapter I had to read aloud while my ponents to the teaching of writing Issue No. 28 peers failed to hide their laughter; I that I had yet to implement: students rush through the story of how I was need an actual space of some kind Striking a Chord with Voice: afraid to “presentate” my own writ- (a paper notebook or otherwise) to Authentic Voice in Writing ing in middle school, so I pretended continuously collect their writing; if to have to go home sick the entire I want authentic writing then I need Editors: Stacey Goldblatt week of presentations. I tell them to provide authentic prompts and Jennifer Moore how I almost cried in embarrass- audience; and students need to be Co-Editor: Janis Jones ment when I pronounced ‘hierar- able to frequently choose their writ- Layout: Janis Jones chy’ as ‘high-archy’ and the teacher ing topics…even if they make me Photography: Janis Jones departed from instruction to correct uncomfortable. Marla Williams me in front of everyone (They al- ways seem shocked when they dis- By providing students with a tangi- Writing Angel: Susan Minnicks cover that I was in graduate school ble object in which they can collect Published by the and teaching in my own classroom their words, we honor them as au- at the time). Even now, my cheeks thors. There is a huge difference in San Diego Area Writing Project are red as I recall these moments confidence and reflection between a Director: and my finger hovers over the delete student who only has random sheets Kim Douillard button. No one wants to be embar- of writing and a student who has a UC San Diego rassed, especially in educational set- notebook full of writing. In my class- tings when peers make up the audi- room, actual notebooks are the most SDAWP ence. I question how I could have realistic option, and we instill Writ- 9500 Gilman Drive ever asked my students to write au- er’s Rights in order to maintain trust La Jolla, CA 92093-0036 thentically and share transparently and respect: (858) 534-2576 without modeling such behavior http://sdawp.ucsd.edu/ first. I now understand that if I am 1. No one can read another’s asking for authentic voice, mine bet- writing without permission.This 2 Dialogue, Fall 2012 includes other teachers. (My students felt violated when another teacher came to observe our class and read their writing over their shoulders without asking permission.) Good rule of thumb: if it makes us uncomfortable, don’t do it to someone Congratulations else. 2. Students have the right to ask the teacher not to read an en SDAWP try. Students simply fold the page in half if they don’t want me to read it at that moment.

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