COMPOSITION STUDIES BY DIANE K. OLSON, PHD, WRITING, TEACHING AND CRITICISM

STUDENTS NEED OUR ENCOURAGEMENT AS THEY VENTURE FORTH AS WRITERS, NOT CRITICISM WHICH ONLY STYMIES THEIR WRITING.  TO GIVE STUDENTS ENCOURAGEMENT FOR WHERE THEY ARE AT AS WRITERS IS TO EMBOLDEN THEM TO PRESS FORWARD WITH THEIR PURPOSES AND VISIONS FOR THEIR WRITING.   WE NEED TO END THE TENDENCY TO CRITICIZE OUR STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE OFTENTIMES ONLY DOING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN DO AT THE STAGE IN THEIR GROWTH AS WRITERS THAT THEY ARE AT.   WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO LAY OUT THEIR VISIONS OF A BETTER WORLD AND EMBOLDEN THEM TO PURSUE THOSE VISIONS.  WE NEED TO LITERALLY GIVE THEM COURAGE TO PURSUE THEIR OWN PURPOSES THROUGH THEIR WRITING, PURPOSES THAT GOD HAS OFTENTIMES PLACED ON THEIR HEARTS.  WE NEED TO RESPECT AND HONOR THEIR VISIONS AND PURPOSES AS THEY CREATIVELY MAP THEM OUT IN THEIR WRITINGS. WE MUST ENCOURAGE -- GIVE STUDENTS COURAGE -- NOT CRITICIZE.   LET US PUT AN END TO CRITICISM IN OUR COMPOSITION COURSES AND ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO BE AS CREATIVE AND PURPOSEFUL AS POSSIBLE WITH THEIR WRITINGS.

THERE IS A WORLD IN NEED BEYOND OUR CLASSROOMS, AND THAT WORLD NEEDS OUR LOVE AND ASSISTANCE, WITH WHATEVER GIFTS WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY GOD, INCLUDING THE GIFT OF WRITING.  WE CAN TEACH OUR STUDENTS ABOUT SERVING THE NEEDS OF THE LARGER WORLD AND REACHING OUT TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM WITH COMPASSION, CARE AND LOVE.   COMPOSITION STUDIES IS A SERVICE PROFESSION, AND IT IS TIME THAT WE BROADEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT SERVICE TO THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE.  WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO NOT JUST BE OF SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITIES' LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF WRITING BUT RATHER TO BE OF SERVICE TO THE STUDENTS, AS HUMANS IN NEED, AND THE NEEDS OF THE LARGER WORLD, INCLUSIVE OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE LIVE IN AND THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF THE UNIVERSITY. THERE IS A WORLD IN DESPERATE NEED OF OUR WRITING AND TEACHING GIFTS, AND WE SHOULD NOT RESERVE THOSE GIFTS FOR THE UNIVERSITIES' LIMITED VIEWS OF OUR WORK.  WRITING AND TEACHING ARE GIFTS FROM GOD THAT ARE TO BE PUT INTO SERVICE FOR ALL OF HUMANITY, SO IT IS TIME THAT WE BROADEN OUR VISION OF THE WORK THAT WE DO IN COMPOSITION COURSES AND OUTSIDE OF THOSE COURSES.  

I WOULD LIKE TO CREATE A COMPASSION READER FOR COMPOSITION COURSES THAT INTRODUCES STUDENTS TO THE WRITINGS OF SOCIAL ACTIVISTS, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN THE WORLD AND WHOSE FAITH SUSTAINS THE WORK THAT THEY DO.  I CAN THINK IMMEDIATELY OF WRITINGS BY MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., MOTHER THERESA AND DOROTHY DAY, BUT  I KNOW THERE ARE MANY OTHERS THAT CAN BE INCLUDED IN THIS READER.  IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE LEAVE THEM IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST.   I WOULD LIKE FOR THE READER TO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT HOW THE FAITH AND CONVICTIONS OF THESE WRITERS AND ACTIVISTS DRIVE THEM TO MAKE THE WORLD A MORE COMPASSIONATE AND LOVING PLACE -- A MUCH BETTER PLACE FOR THE OUTCAST, FORGOTTEN AND IMPOVERISHED PEOPLES OF THE WORLD.  THIS READER SHOULD SERVE AS INSPIRATION FOR THE STUDENTS TO THINK AND WRITE ABOUT HOW THEY TOO CAN GO OUT INTO THE WORLD AND MAKE A COMPASSIONATE DIFFERENCE FOR PEOPLE IN NEED.  THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROJECT THAT I HOPE TO BRING INTO FRUITION SOON.

WRITING IS A COMMUNICATIVE GIFT FROM GOD OUR LOVING CREATOR THAT WE CAN ALL DEVELOP AND USE TO MAKE OUR WORLD A BETTER, MORE COMPASSIONATE AND LOVING PLACE.  WE EACH HAVE THE GIFT OF WRITING, TO VARYING DEGREES, AND WE CAN TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO HONE AND USE THEIR GIFTS  OF COMMUNICATION TO IMPROVE, REIMAGINE AND BRING JUSTICE TO THE WORLD THAT WE AND THEY LIVE IN.   WE NEED TO IMAGINE AND DEVELOP CURRICULUMS FOR OUR WRITING COURSES THAT DO PRECISELY THAT FOR OUR STUDENTS.   I THINK WE WILL FIND THAT WHEN WE ADVANCE THIS CONCEPTION OF WRITING,  STUDENTS WILL BE ALL THE MORE EAGER TO LEARN AND PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR WRITING.  WE NEED TO TEACH THAT WRITING IS A GIFT TO BE GIVEN BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND IN SERVICE OF THE COMMUNITIES AROUND OUR CLASSROOMS AND THE LARGER WORLD.