Writing Biography

My writing career began with modeling writing behavior with siblings and family members. I recall dragging a pencil across paper in a long squiggle to indicate my “cursive writing” for a grocery list, friendly letters, and mock assignments in our homeschool setting during developmental play. I would indicate this as the building blocks to my skills as a writer. As I advanced through school, I don’t recall writing being a great emphasis, other than using correct grammar and spelling. I managed to get myself through the written expectations of my undergraduate work, but did not learn the real components of writing until I started my Masters degree in teaching.

I recall much writing coming along with the Master’s degree. I spent a lot of time at my large Gateway computer trying to get it right. As courses passed, the endeavor of the big thesis approached, including many references and APA format. I struggled with all of it, and spend much time dreaming at night seeing my fingers typing my thoughts on a keyboard, rather than the dreamy pictures of the events in my head. I think it is safe to say it was a time of anxiety. I struggled to point my writing in the direction that I was able to support my thinking effectively. Getting started, creating a specific area of concentration was extremely difficult. I settled on focusing my research on cooperative learning in the classroom and creating a study to support academic gains in the students I worked with. Overall, my writing was successful; I had little changes to make after presenting my final product to the College of Education. Through all my struggles, I was able to clearly demonstrate the growth my students achieved as a result of working with their peers. To be q...

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...at I was supported by a strong facilitator and a cohort of quality educators. Each individual came with much experience and had the ability to provide practical feedback. It helped me appreciate the process as a whole. I was able to gain knowledge and insight from others, which helped me clarify and identify my focus. I believe my writing felt laborious because it was based on my own experience, reflection, and had meaning connections. I believed in my practice and had much to share about it. I was able to cite sources that supported my practices, but I did not feel like I was inventing something that I had little knowledge about, or that I was just beginning to learn or understand. I think this is the reality for me. My writing comes with less difficulty if I have a solid understanding about the topic and ideas that I am connecting together for my reader.