Studying to become an elementary teacher has affected my writing in many ways.
First of all, I haven't been able to do a whole lot of writing--save for school. For the past two and a half years, my studies have devoured every available moment to the point where I feel lucky just to snag the chance to jot down an idea or a couple sentences in a story or a mere line or two of verse in a typical day. To compensate, I try to insinuate my interests and style into every assignment I possibly can. I've even composed a couple of essays involving themes that I like to explore in my fiction and poetry that I'm rather proud of, in fact. I also find that the ideas I've been coming up with lately are geared more and more toward readers of elementary age. It'll be interesting to see where many of those ideas will lead me--when I have a spare moment to develop them, that is.
I am also becoming aware of whole new ways to relate to readers. I've taken courses such as Educational Psychology and Children's Literature and Cultural Diversity which have presented quite interesting perspectives of young readers and learners and how to engage them. I'm taking a fascinating course this semester called Teaching Reading In The Content Areas. Halfway through the semester and I can appreciate how "reading" and "teaching reading" are truly their very own beasts. I have a couple more teaching-methods classes involving reading and writing coming up this Summer which should be just as enlightening.
Of course, having had twins just over a year ago has proven to be even more powerful than school at pulling me from my writing--and at supplying me with story ideas at the very same instant. But that is a whole other post.
Anyhow, that's just a couple of quick thoughts between assignments: that it's one thing to study writing--it's another thing to study reading. A writer must view the words from both sides of the page. It is absolutely fascinating to begin to realise that there just might be more than two sides to every page.
