In Our Own Voice: Graduate Students Teach Writing

Written by teaching assistants for teaching assistants, In Our Own Voice offers a wealth of first-person narratives by graduate students on the front line about subjects as conceptually challenging as politics in the freshman composition classroom, the issue of authority in the classroom, and the debate about personal vs. formal academic writing—and as nitty-gritty as responding to student papers and correcting grammar.

Acknowledging that many composition courses are taught by graduate students, In Our Own Voice offers a selection of articles about teaching first year writing by graduate students. By reading a variety of perspectives about the realities and experiences of teaching writing, graduate students become better prepared for the composition classroom.

The collection attempts to strike a balance between the theoretical and practical issues composition teachers face, and functions as a resource for pedagogical theories and practical ideas while at the same time problematizing traditional and currently held beliefs and definitions. The essays are arranged according to topic and attempt to speak to each other, while acknowledging that there is no right or wrong method when it comes to teaching.

For anyone interested in the teaching of writing.