Final Reflections on "Basic Writing Theory and Practice"

In Basic Writing Theory and Practice this semester, I read many interesting papers (see my thoughts on them in separate blog posts), participated in a number of interesting discussions (especially the two role-playing exercises over basic writing policy), undertook some challenging writing assignments (see my reflective essay on my literacy narrative), and came away with a good overview of the issues involved with basic writing. But I am most grateful for the opportunity to have learned about Mina Shaughnessy in such depth through a very enjoyable book review project.

            I read  Mina P. Shaughnessy: Her Life and Work, by Jane Maher, three times at different stages of the project. Each time, I found the language in the text to be so well-crafted—both the excerpts of what Mina, her friends, colleagues, and others in her world had written, and Maher’s own language in knitting these elements together. The contrast between the way in which these writers and speakers were able to express themselves, and the murky language of the basic writing students at the heart of the work was poignant.

            The drama of Mina’s life, as recounted in Maher’s biography, animated my understanding of basic writing, basic writing students, and the social and political issues surrounding them. City College’s role in the birth of the field, the university’s Open Admissions policy, and the stormy years that followed, are crucial to appreciating the history of this new approach to teaching unprepared students. Questions about assessment, placement, course credit for so-called remedial courses, course structure, and staffing persist today.

What I admire most about Mina Shaughnessy, as Jane Maher describes her, was her problem-solving approach to her students’ writing difficulties and her optimistic sense that their skills could improve. She did not judge them as she worked tirelessly on their behalf. These traits are no less important today in a teacher working with high-needs students.

It was a special bonus to meet Jane Maher. Her own experience as a committed teacher of basic writing brought the issues that Mina faced into the modern day.

Finally, it was a pleasure to work on the group book report with Nick, Sok, and Maria. We all shared an admiration for Mina Shaughnessy and Jane Maher’s book, and we each contributed a different element to the final presentation. In an earlier group project in another class, I had done the bulk of the work on the visual presentation. This time, we were all full partners in creating the shared Google Power Point. I believe we came up with an appropriate way to divide the topic, and I feel we gave our classmates a good sense of who Mina Shaughnessy was and her place in basic writing. The project helped me grow more comfortable with group work, and I am proud of what we accomplished together.