Matthew Floyds Philosophy of Teaching Statement

I teach writing because I know it is important in society and not enough of other people I
encounter took that away from their education. To a lot of students, and even their parents,
writing is this inherent ability that stops developing at necessity: you speak, you breathe, you
write- never more than you need to. But writing isnt just an act or a passive skill, it is culture
made corporeal and casted out into the world; every person has a voice and through writing
there are no limits to who can hear it. My classroom is a testament to this idea, that writing is
invaluable and accessible, and every lesson demonstrates it further as my curriculum has several
core beliefs on teaching writing at its foundation.
The first is teaching my students that writing is a process and to give them the confidence and
skills to master that process. Many of my students will learn of, as I did, of authors of rare talent
that got published on their first attempt or at a very young age. These examples might lead my
students to believe that writing is an inherited ability, in which some are simply proficient at
while others just get by and others simply dont. My curriculum will dispel this illusion and show
my students how the clear majority of major authors go through many layers of development
before their works are complete. Viewing writing as a process means that there is always room
for improvement in ones work and that meaningful self and peer evaluation is essential. It also
means that as a teacher I shift importance away from a final product and instead put weight on
the process and development of the product its self, as this is where true writing skills are
developed. This means not only showing students how to write, but having activities and in-class
opportunities for students to demonstrate and give evidence that they are knowledgeable of the
writing process. My last minute, first-draft-submitting students will learn that they are only giving
a fraction of their best potential when they ignore the writing process, and in the classroom, all
my students will know that it is a place where I expect their best, and that I will always help them
work towards it.
I can show my students where I have been with my own writings at their age and where I am
now as a writer- highlighting where I succeeded and where I failed. I will show my students that
the waiting they do now will shape them as writers going forward. Young writers are deeply
vulnerable to teachers appraisals of their stories, poems, or essays. We must speak to our
students with an honesty tempered by compassion, Ralph Fletcher writes in What a Writer
Needs, Our words will literally define the ways they perceive themselves as writers. My
feedback on their writing will be critical and developed, always with the idea that my words will
be carried with my students as they work on future writings. This involves taking the time to do
individual conferencing with students on their writings, when necessary, but also teaching my
students the skills to give significant and meaningful peer evaluation. My students will know that
writing does not stop at graduation, it is an important skill that you carry throughout your life.