Reflecting upon My Writing Instruction

Entry #2

     As I reflect upon my writing instruction, I must admit that the instruction I received as a child wasn't that great.  If I'm being completely honest, it was far from a joyful experience learning to write.  I remember learning about grammar through countless worksheets; I recall formulaic structures that seemed pointless and rote, and the five-paragraph essays that never seemed to be good enough for my teachers.  I wrote to a lot of silly prompts such as: "If you were a pencil, what would you do?" I remember this particular prompt in fifth grade because I thought it was so dumb.  I still think it's dumb.  Prompt writing was never my thing.
   Looking back, I also remember a lot of handwriting practice and cursive writing.  That was considered writing back in the day.  Basically, I was copying and trying to make my letters look as nice as the ones on the worksheets.  I was successful at copying and received much praise on my neat handwriting.  Unfortunately, I was provided few opportunities to put my neat handwriting to good use and experiment with "real" writing.  Writer's Workshop? Forget about it.  Time to share or talk with other writers in class? Not a chance.  As I got older, the red pen became my dreaded feedback on my writing assigments. 
     I suppose one could say that my writing instruction can be described as the "empty vessel" model of teaching where teachers "deposit skills or knowledge into the empy memory banks of their students" (Gibbons, 2002, p. 6) My teachers gave me the writing skills that they thought I needed to become a successful, lifelong writer--spelling rules, grammer, handwriting, and formulas.  Writing was taught directly (Learning View) and about learning how to produce "good writing." My teachers did not teach the writing process or create conditions for authentic writing opportunities. (Acquisition View)  The teacher was responsible for correcting my writing (Learning View) and usually involved a red pen for marking errors.  Although I am certain their intentions were good, my enthusiasm for writing was squashed, and now, later in life, my reflection of the writing instruction that I received is...unfortunate.