Response to The English teacher's Red Pen

I have never been the student with perfect grammar or spelling. I remember several instances in which I turned in a clean white paper that I felt proud of, only to receive a dark red, marked up version of what was previously my paper. I don't think anyone can really say that they haven't felt that pang of disappointment when a teacher overlooks some incredibly genuine ideas because they are too focused on misspellings and bad punctuation. This article is defending students like me and promoting the idea that, hey, maybe some English teachers should lay off a little.
On the other side of this argument, knowing core elements of writing is almost as important as the unique ideas that are being written down. For instance, knowing and understand the engine of a car can help the driver know exactly how the car should be driven. It also helps the driver recognize problems with the vehicle, before it's too late. Just like the engine of a car, it is important for students to understand the mechanics that go into a well-written paper. Knowing this can help a writer recognize a problem and change it to make their paper better.
Now Im not saying that English teachers need to focus on grammatical errors and mark up each student's paper until they get it right. Like I have said before, I have been that disappointed student. But having a good grammatical foundation is important. However, it is not the most important.

I am from...Dandelions and Buzzing Bees

I am from green John Deere tractors,
Dirty dairy parlors,
And B.B. guns.

I am from fields of dandelions that are also
Fields of hidden buzzig bees.
I am from the rooftop of a farm house
Used for sneaking out and in.

I am from scary monsters under my bed
An old abandoned radio that never turns off,
and a grandma that swears in Welsh.

I am from Pear pie only made at Thanksgiving time,
war stories around a smokey campfire,
And tall grass that hids electric fences.

I am from "the cows are out" at 4 in the morning,
and "get the switch"
and "come, boss."

I am from an old squeaky screen door
That tells everyone in the house when I am late.

Assignment Two: Thoughts on Christensen

In reading some of Linda Christensen's book "Reading, Writing, and Rising Up" one passage stood out the most for me. "Where I'm From" was a section about allowing a student's personal life come into the classroom. Christensen discussed how inviting in the student's home life and personal experience opens up creative doors and makes the students feel safe. It also provides an enjoyable learning experience and causes the students to actually want to learn, attend class, and have more open discussions in the classroom.
While reading this section, I thought back to my experiences in high school and the English courses I took. My favorite types of papers to write were the ones involving my personal stories or my biography. It is in writing these papers that my confidence as a writer was built. A teacher or professor is less likely to scrutinize you on a paper that is made up of your own experience. Knowing that I wasn't going to be marked down for my thoughts is what gave me the confidence to push my writing in bolder directions, ultimately making my writing much stronger. Having a strong confidence in my thoughts and ideas, as well as my writing, is what helped me decide on being a teacher. I'm proof that combining students' personal and academic lives can really be a great idea.