Writing in the English Teaching Field 1

Writing in the English Teaching Field

Sarah A. Pederson

CWI
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Abstract

This is a short review of the writing expected for anyone going into any major career field for as

an English Teacher. I hope to enlighten the readers about the styles and amounts of writing

needed, and provide guidelines about what to expect and prepare for in the writing side as they

enter this chosen field.

Keywords: English, Writing, Career

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Writing in the English Teaching Field

Writing skills are needed where ever life takes us. Jobs, personal relationships, and even

social events require basic writing skills. But not everyone shares the love of writing that most

English majors possess. It is for this reason that I want to become and English teacher. It is my

desire to instill the love of reading and writing into the next generation that I have tucked away

in my heart.

I would like to focus on a field that seems rather obvious but then might hold surprises.

Teaching is obviously a field that needs writing on a daily, almost hourly basis, especially that of

teaching English. Websites, reports, papers, and even little notes are all part of the writing

process in this career, and it is imperative for a teacher to be able to write proficiently in order to

pass on that knowledge to their students but also function as a professional in the field. Through

the interviews, website exploration, and writing analysis of this assignment, I’ve discovered my

profession values verbal communication and knowledge of computer programs, and I thus need

to improve my communication skills and computer skills.

The Building and the Website

I explored both the College of Western Idaho (CWI) and the Boise State University

(BSU) websites to see what they would look like and also what type of writing would be needed

for their English Departments. BSU’s website has a video that describes how an English Major

can be used, and how important writing is in a career. News and announcements about visiting

authors and various student publishing successes are displayed in the initial site. Further

investigation led me to a description of their dedication to each student, not just future teachers,

but to all career seekers. They listed different majors the school offered, and also what type of

classes would be needed for each major. Scholarships, Internships, and English Language
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Support Program were some of the names on the tabs to the side of the main description. CWI

share the same basic attributes, though the layout is slightly different. They have an overview of

their program and various programs available, and also why students should choose English, or

not. They likewise have career info, and also an introduction to the various teachers and

professors that offer their services and skills to incoming students.

While as a community college CWI does not have a particular office building that houses

their English Department explicitly, they do have a wonderful library system and multiple

writing centers available to students. BSU’s writing centers were more difficult to find, but

certainly no less useful. Student works are displayed on bulletin boards around the walls, as well

as announcements about upcoming events and opportunities for the students.

Interview and Analysis

I interviewed a fellow student and teacher who is very influential in my life. My mother,

Kate Pederson, is currently pursuing her Master in Education while teaching at a private high

school. She currently teaches science and conducts the chorus alongside English, and enjoys

every minute with her students. I interviewed her as a Professional in her field as well as a

Student, and was interested to find that I received two different answers for the same question

based on whether she was a Professional or a Student.

Some of my first questions for both interviews centered around the types of writing Mrs.

Pederson encountered and the different communications styles she used in her role as Teacher

and then as Student. In both roles, Mrs. Pederson describes the essentiality of her writing and

communications skills (both oral and written) as vital. Writing as a Student is her favorite, as it is

challenging but very enjoyable and satisfying.

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As a Teacher, Mrs. Pederson assigned composition for her students and then she

evaluated their writing. She is constantly making use of software programs such as PowerPoint

and Excel to keep track of grades and create calendars and presentations for her class, as well as

mapping out next year’s curriculum. She is constantly interacting with other faculty members

and parents as well as the students of the private school. She is responsible for keeping the

Principal in the know about things going on in her classroom, and offers solutions and

recommendations for improvement. The teachers all work together to collaborate on projects and

coordinate schedules. Mrs. Pederson communicates to the parents about student progress,

produces progress reports, information letters about upcoming events, and occasionally has face

to face meetings about issues in the classroom that needs to be addressed.

As a Student, Mrs. Pederson writes term and research papers and compositions on a

weekly basis. She also participates in written communications with her Instructors via email and

Blackboard. Some prominent papers she remembers working on included evaluations of

standardized tests and assessing the of pros and cons of three she selected through her research.

She also had to write several papers on special needs students and the methodology for teaching

them, and spent ten hours in a special needs classroom and gave a self-evaluation of the

experience and what she had learned.

The next part of my interviews had to do with what skills Mrs. Pederson would need as a

Professional and then as a Student, and what she liked most and least about her roles. Mrs.

Pederson stresses the importance of organizational skills, as well as time management and

research skills. Interpersonal and good communication skills were also vital to success not only

as a Student but also a Teacher. But her hard work pays off in the light that shines on her

student’s faces once they grasp a concept. She lives for the moment when the ‘lightbulb’ comes
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on. The thorn in her side about her work as a Professional is not with the student body, but with

the administration. Staff politics, the policies that inhibit the instructional process, and

interruptions created by the administration are all things she could certainly live without. As a

Student, her only qualm is finding time to do her homework. Time management is important, as

she must balance work responsibilities with her own homework, and that is a challenge. When I

asked what the goal of her Masters was, Mrs. Pederson explained that it was not for work, but for

herself. In her current position, she is at the highest level that she can achieve. But a Masters

would be of great benefit if she decided to work at a public school. For now, the Masters in

Education is a goal she is achieving because it is something she has always wanted to do.

Advise about skill sets and preparation in the English Profession monopolize the last and

final section of my interviews, and with these questions I received roughly the same answer.

Mrs. Pederson told me that being fluent with current software like PowerPoint and Excel was

important. It was also imperative to know the subject matter of your curriculum, for how can you

teach if you yourself do not know? She insisted that grammar, punctuation, diction, and writing

mechanics needed to be a teacher’s best friends. As a fellow Student, time management and good

study habits were imperative to achieve the goal of graduation and a successful career. While

Mrs. Pederson learned most of her writing skills in other professions, she would recommend

college to any future students as it is a must. Knowing me personally, she said that I would do

well as a teacher as long as I stayed organized.

Writing Sample Analysis

My search for a writing example of an English Teacher beyond progress reports,

calendars, and grading left me hardly any examples of writing that the teachers themselves did,

other than perhaps the occasional letter to a parent or colleague. It was always the students who
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wrote extensively, not the professors or teachers. And it is plainly obvious what types of writing

the students do; research papers, persuasive arguments, and compare and contrast essays, to

name a few. Even in my interview, the teacher could not think of any real writing examples that

she had done in the past two years except what she wrote as a student herself, nor could she

produce anything for me. And seeing as she is my own mother and I live with her, I have never

seen her work on a detailed writing project to produce as a teacher that goes beyond planning

laying out the curriculum plan for the upcoming year. As a homeschool mother, she would

design certificates and also base her grading and record system off the state and federal

regulations, but these were nothing like papers or articles to be read by peers.

I did, however, find websites that were designed to supply teachers with material and

supplies. I also discovered professional reports on studies done to evaluate different teaching

styles and what is considered ‘best for the student’. The National Council of Teachers of English

(NCTE) contemplated that students “write only to prove that they did something they were asked

to do, in order to get credit for it,” and are not actually taught a love of writing. On their website,

they also stated that students are “taught a single type of writing and are led to believe this type

will suffice in all situations.” (2017) The NCTE believes this is detrimental to students, as even

in college they are required to have a larger knowledge of writing beyond the basic research

paper styled in APA or MLA.

I also reviewed a scholarly article about English Teaching in Secondary Education.

Literacy and Text Reading in Middle and High School Social Studies and English Language Arts

Classrooms, as the article was titled, reviewed a study done for middle and high school

classrooms, specifically the subjects of Language Arts and Social Studies, to see how students

and teachers approached reading and vocabulary. The article stated that “One challenge for
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adolescents is the variety of text with which they must proficiently read for understanding.”

(Swanson, 2016) Many young students do not have the capability to comprehend exposure to all

the various reading styles they are being introduced to, and therefore struggle in high school to

enjoy reading and in relation, writing. I believe this is because they were not taught at a young

age by their parents to enjoy reading in the first place. I would like to help them learn this

passion n high school, before they enter the truly adult world and fend for themselves.

Job Application Requirements

I visited Indeed.com to find out what kind of requirements employers are looking for in

the teaching profession. Aside from the obvious things like grading, knowing and sometimes

choosing and/or creating the curriculum, writing progress reports, scheduling field trips, and

staying in touch with parents and other faculty, the schools want their teachers up to date with all

teaching requirements – local, state, and federal. Knowledge and efficient fluidity of electronic

programs such as Microsoft is a must. A degree in English at least one level above the students is

required, and some sort of teaching experience, even if one does not possess the actual college

level of Education.

I discovered through this research that it would benefit any student studying this

profession to take a computer class or two if they did not feel comfortable with various

programs. As to writing progress reports and grade reports, the classes I am looking at taking at

BSU will certainly help me. It is also important to be comfortable communicating with other

teachers and parents. A verbal communication and/or speech class would be advised. Writing is

not everything in an English profession. I have taken several speech classes, and as a teacher

currently, I feel very comfortable and confident in public speaking. The one-on-one interaction

with parents and other teachers, however, may prove more challenging.
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Being an English Teacher

The opportunities allotted to a student looking at an education degree are virtually

endless. Those looking at an English degree may have a slightly narrower field of choices, but

teachers are needed everywhere. I have yet to meet a teacher or professor of any subject who did

not enjoy their work even a little. However, teaching is not for everyone. I believe it to be a gift,

for a teacher needs a certain level of patience, creativity, empathy, and no small amount of

confidence in order to be successful.

In my research, I have discovered that communication is perhaps the area I need the most

work on, along with a better understanding of computer programs as this seems to be the way

that modern instruction is leaning. I have been a martial arts instructor for a while now, and I

love to see the smile on a student’s face and the pride in their eyes when they master a new skill.

It was in part this sensation that first called me to teaching. The other part was the knowledge

that peers and even those younger than myself did not share that same love of reading or writing

that I do. I wish to instill this passion in future generations.

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References

Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing, retrieved from

http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/teaching-writing

High school English Teacher job listing, retrieved from

https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=english+teacher+high+school&l=Meridian%2C+ID

K. Pederson, personal communication, April 27, 2017

Swanson, E., Wanzek, J., and others, Literacy and Text Reading in Middle and High School

Social Studies and English Language Arts Classrooms. 2016