About Erin E. Banks-Kirkham, PhD, MA

Teaching Philosophy

As a writing teacher, I strive to guide my students to leave my classroom more equipped to write what they believe

individually and better able to respond to different rhetorical situations they will face in their academic careers and

beyond. To meet these ends, I aim to help students understand that writing is a process they will always be improving

on, whether on one specific writing task or as a writer who grows in skill over time. I also encourage my students to

view both their culture and writing tasks through a rhetorical lens, cultivating their abilities to look critically at the

world around them. And, finally, I believe students should become comfortable functioning as a community of

writers in my classroom, so they can work collaboratively and learn from one another.

At the center of my own pedagogy is the belief that I can help students meet these goals by viewing each of them as an

individual. As a writing teacher, I try to fully utilize the smaller size of my composition classes. I find that

individualized attention is vital in the writing classroom. Therefore, I consider it my duty to find out each student’s

goals for his or her writing as well as his or her future beyond my classroom. In order to get to know my students and

help them understand what role writing plays in their lives, I arrange my class schedule to allow for several one-on-

one conferences over the course of the semester. It is when students sit in my office and explain their papers to me

that I feel they take true ownership of their work. I have seen their eyes light up as they realize how to express their

ideas more clearly or when they become determined to prove to me and themselves exactly what they can do. It is

when they become invested in their writing that they realize that it is something uniquely their own.

Additionally, I have found showing each student how important writing and reading already are to him or her is an

effective way to help ease anxiety when looking critically at one’s own writing and writing process. In doing this, I

ask my students to consider both the messages they create as rhetors and those they perceive as an audience, whether

these texts be physical texts, messages in the media, or visual arguments they face on a daily basis. I strive to help my

students understand how to create rhetorically sound messages, as well as how to function critically as part of an

audience.

Furthermore, in order to help my students consider views outside of their own, I incorporate many collaborative

activities into my classroom, ranging from peer review and group discussion, to group projects and writing

assignments. I think collaborative writing is an important way for students to understand that writing does not have

be something they do in solitude. Additionally, working with peers helps students learn valuable skills they will use in

the workplace and other future classes. Presenting writing to an audience of two or three peers can be less

intimidating for students and can help them obtain experience writing for a real audience. While my students do

group or partnered work I make sure to circulate around the room to visit with them. Whether I ask about the music

they listen to or the progress they are making on their papers, I try to find out what is important to them. Writing

can be a scary and personal task for many students; therefore, I make sure to help my students both trust and respect

me as their teacher and audience. Through the example of my own attitude, I have seen a feeling of trust develop in

my classroom, which is important in helping students grow as writers and members of a community of writers.

This ability to give attention to the individual and see him or her grow into a more critical reader and writer is what

makes being a writing teacher uniquely wonderful. While many biology or math teachers sit down to grade stacks of

multiple choice tests, identified with only a student ID number, I am fortunate to be able to sit down with my stacks

of essays, each with an individual voice and unique point of view. I am grateful to have the opportunity to help them grow as writers.