The most important ideas I present to my students on the first day of class are how incredibly difficult good writing is and that I, too, am just 'a dedicated student trying to master this. art form. Essays are not written speeches, I told them, and good writing is not the product of some innate, mysterious talent given to a few of us. No. Writing is difficult, thoughtful work, the results of which are promised to no one, not even professional writers who bask in the glow of their computer screens while their muses slowly strum their golden harps at their sides. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The student writer must learn to value the attributes derived from self-imposed discipline and directed work; as she learns to wrestle with her lowest, most mundane thoughts as well as her highest, most prayerful inferences, her imagined ideal of who she thinks she is will change. She must be willing to visit and revisit the text until the writing instrument, whether a pen or a keyboard, becomes an extension of a transmutable self directly inscribed in fictitious persuasive appeals about race, class, gender, and sexual orientations. In fact, the real-world social contexts the average writer finds herself in, daily posing for selfies to upload to Facebook and Twitter, while being bombarded with streaming ads and campaign promises, keep her "connected" to only an arm's length. : The millennial student is more inspired by writing and criticism than any other generation. Yet one could argue that virtual exchanges have little substance. Some might argue further that eye-candy abounds, but more often than not, flashes of ideas occur about American culture across a nearly endless array of exhibits. What then is captured at the end of a synaptic jump, if not the beginnings of reflections derived in a few milliseconds measured from raw and immutable truths derived from pure emotions tested against a more approved course: literacies Verbal and visual statements often illuminate thematic speeches. found in character analysis, which in turn inspires passionate and robust discussions. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Therefore, adopting texts that provide basic visual literacy is an integral part of my pedagogy. I enjoy workshops because such environments often give students a measure of confidence that is sometimes difficult to summon in a traditional classroom, especially the more reserved students I was once among. After assigning each student to a group, I am always excited to see how analyzing a short story, essay, photograph, or advertisement can teach students lessons about the world and about life. how they could overcome it or find themselves succinctly constructed within their own group. he. Good writing, I tell them, depends on how close they are willing to come to a lifelong reflection on who they think they are, fulfilling the beginnings of that great Delphic injunction to “Know thyself.” Being part of this thought process is an invaluable redemptive reward and one of the main reasons I teach today..