Re: Writing On Demand resolution for NCTE

["Carla Beard" <carla@webenglishteacher.com>]

My principal has dismissed the entire issue. She has decreed "writing on
demand" to be a genre and says it should be taught as such. :(

Carla 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: middle-lit-owner@interversity.org [mailto:middle-lit-
> owner@interversity.org] On Behalf Of Jenny Smithson
> Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 9:15 PM
> To: middle-lit@interversity.org
> Subject: [middle-lit] Writing On Demand resolution for NCTE
> 
> I recently was involved in helping keep "writing on demand" out of
> Indiana's
> newly revised state standards for English/Language Arts.  I wrote letters
> to
> our superintendent of public instruction and the Language Arts committee
> chair to explain that we (Indiana's teachers) didn't want fake writing in
> the Indiana Academic Standards because that was crossing the ethical line
> of
> giving teachers a license to teach to the state test.  It had a lot of my
> opinions and I professed that writing on demand was neither best practices
> or authentic assessment.  I offered little proof other than that I
> believed
> that NCTE would support my opinion.
> 
> After succeeding in keeping it out, I saw the call for new resolutions for
> NCTE.  Nowhere that I can find is NCTE's position on writing on demand--
> I'm
> glad they didn't check!  Does anyone have thoughts about what NCTE's
> position might be on this matter.  I'd like to collaborate with someone to
> write a resolution to send to Nashville, but I can't find anyone local
> with
> the time or the passion about this topic to help me...anyone interested in
> contributing a few sentences to get me started and then I'll add/revise
> and
> send it back to you.  We can keep this up until we come up with something
> good.  I'm just a classroom teacher looking for a person(s) with good word
> choice skills to help me express my opinion (and hopefully the opinion of
> NCTE) and make it sound smart!
> 
> I would even be open to a lot of people sending me input and then drafting
> something to send back to the list to get all of your
> thoughts/agreements/disagreements.  I can send it from the NCTE-middle
> level
> listserve to give you all credit.
> 
> Nancy Patterson--I'm hoping you'll have something brilliant to add since I
> adore you and all the things you say on this list.
> 
> Jenny Smithson
> Selma Middle School
> Selma, Indiana
> judgejenny@hotmail.com
> 
> 
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