The 9 Rights of Every Writer: A Guide for Teachers Book

The 9 Rights of Every Writer by Vicki Spandel immediately caught my attention when I was choosing a book to read. I was looking for something that would help me through the standards of high school, but with criteria that would also meet the needs of my struggling students. Clearly this is a book for a teacher in any grade, since the strategies will apply to all levels. Spandel discusses reflecting, finding personally important topics, going off topic, personalizing the writing process, writing badly to unearth and clarify meaning, observing other writers at work, assessing constructively'and well, experiencing structural freedom, and unearthing the power of each writer's voice. I truly found each chapter to have insight like I never would have thought it to be. The amount of things I was able to connect with, that I could see myself being able to do, was unimaginable. I was so excited to finish the book before I had even completed the first chapter. Vicki Spandel has many talking points in each chapter, and then continues on with an expert writer at the end of each section for further clarification on the chosen topics. Two of her topics that I felt so compelled to share were in chapter two and chapter seven.

Chapter two discusses the right to choose a personally important topic. Spandel made it clear that if we can teach students about choosing their own ideas to write about, then we will foster much stronger writers when everything is said and done. To paraphrase, "Writers who discover their own topics write with voice and commitment. When the voice is strong, the writing literally becomes an extension of self, and because writing with voice is worth reading, we should do everything possible to encourage students to create such writing, and everything we can think of to eliminate time wasted on creating writing no one- writer or reader- cares about" (Spandel, Ch. 2). That being said, there are many ways we can go about this, and we should use all of them interchangeably. Model for your students about choosing a topic, digging into your memories and experiences. Allow your students to see you keep a writing journal, one in which ideas go down, and that you have come back to at a later date. Good writers are "ones who gather, store, and save ideas", says Spandel, so allow your students to continually see your good example. Vicki also uses a hang gliding reference, something that we refer to as scaffolding. Give your students the tools to be successful writers, and eventually they will be ready to jump off that cliff while writing independently. Help them feel like their writing will be received by a caring and compassionate audience, and not just one looking to give a grade based on a rubric in which the state has provided us with. Moreover, if we allowed students in assessment situations to define their own topics, their skill in doing so could become part of what we assess, thereby literally doubling the significance of that assessment. We need to help students to become thinkers, not just responders, since that is such a huge life skill needed to be successful. Which leads me into my next most important idea from this book, about how assessment must focus on what matters, not what is easy to measure, and that all writers have the right to be assessed constructively- and well.

Being assessed well means three things, as Spandel states. One being that assessment must be perceptive. Teachers should carefully and reflectively read the submitted piece with a writer's perspective. Secondly, a quality assessment is compassionate and it does not seek to find fault, but to uplift and genuinely help the writer. We no longer need to identify problems, since this does not encourage and promote working towards becoming a better writer. And lastly, a quality assessment should be useful. Makes sense, right? Teachers and state assessors shouldn't always be using student writing for data purposes, but for the sake of the writer. The purpose of assessment should be to help students identify their needs and their strengths in which to build upon. Often times, students are not aware that they are good at a certain aspect, so helping them to locate this and encourage more great behavior is the most useful thing we can do. As far as feedback to students goes, teachers can develop creative rubrics and checklists with their students, so they can have a better idea as to what we are looking for. Then when giving that response to the student, answer passionately with comments and ideas, which will in turn help students to love their work; to be less critical of themselves. Spandel also mentions that one major goal is to help students learn to assess themselves well, so they can grow and learn from their mistakes.

I thought it was so endearing to read Samantha Abeel's Open Letter to an Assessor at the end of chapter seven, since it really gave a good perspective about what it was like to receive such feedback. Overall it was helpful to read each of the pieces at the end of every chapter, and Spandel gave wonderful insight by having such knowledgeable writers join in her publication.

Reading this book really helped me to see that I can be an excellent teacher of writing if I put my mind to it. I don't have to be fancy about it, or have years and years of experience, but by doing simple things I can completely change the outlook on writing in which my students have. Spandel gives encouragement and practical application for being an enthusiastic and knowledgeable instructor, and I am looking forward to putting these ideas into practice.