When Parents Push Back

It's too bad that we focus on the negative. I've had a successful career so far, and I've received a lot of accolades about teaching writing to middle school aged kids. I don't mean to say that my instruction is perfect, because I can tell you it is not. But I do get students to work hard. One thing I always tell my students is that you get better at something by practicing. If you want to make free throws, practice free throws. If you want to learn to dance, practice. If you want to become a stronger reader, read. And, of course, it follows that if you want to be a better writer...

Write.

Over the years I have given my 6th grade students a lot of opportunity to write stories, narratives, and essays, and I've seen growth.

When parents push back, though, you tend to analyze your existing methods and consider what should be done better. After a particular doozy of a meeting, I unintentionally became more intentional about my teaching of the writing process. The tone of the parent requested meeting was completely negative, and we resolved little. And I wasn't planning on changing things.

But I did.

While I didn't want specific parental comments to guide my methodology when teaching personal narrative, those negative comments stuck with me and affected change.

At the end of the day, parents want what is best for their kids, and teachers should always listen. With writing process criticisms in the back of my mind, my recent writing process instruction approached another level.

I don't know how many of you English teachers out there read ALL your students' papers, but I do, and I've worked out an efficient way of correcting over the years. However, efficiency can breed routine, and routine can give birth to stagnancy.

I am not at the point of stagnancy, but efficiency and routine have become close confidants of mine. Don't get me wrong - I think my lesson plans are ever-improving, but this particular meeting was the wake up call I wasn't expecting.

Enter: Deeper thought when lesson planning for writing instruction.

We have a new resource for writing across the curriculum at our school, and I was able to tap into the Step Up To Writing resource for my 6th and 7th graders for the first time this year. I had planned to study the resource and add depth to my writing even without the parental contact, but our meeting caused me pause, and it allowed me to reflect.

Perhaps I would have reflected on my methodology anyway when I began to teach personal narrative to the students with the Step Up To Writing resource; I would like to think I would have. But I guess I'll never know the answer to that.

Regardless, our personal narratives are done. Now all that's left is the grading.