What Have I Learned?

I came into the memoir class with several expectations. I expected to read memoirs. I expected to learn about writing them. I expected to have my desire for reading memoirs satiated.

What I have learned is that memoirs -- both reading them and writing them -- can be even a better experience than I expected.

I admit it freely; I'm still not sold on the necessity of publishing my work. I have, however, enjoyed writing. For the first time in years, I've actually tried to set aside time to write and to think about my writing. It's so easy to get caught up in the everyday life -- looking after children, teaching, keeping the house clean... okay, scratch the keeping the house clean part. And for gosh sakes, don't even talk about cooking. As my son said to someone who asked him last year, his mother's favorite dish to fix is "take out."

But taking the memoir class has forced me to spend more time in my own writing. I've enjoyed that. I think the part I enjoyed the most -- even if I did face it with great trepidation at first -- was being able to have such a good group of people to share my work with and to hear their words and experiences. It made me remember one of the reasons I loved the original Lowcountry Writing Project so much -- it makes you take the time for your own work and it helps you form those bonds with other writers.

Another positive I've gained from the class is a renewed understanding of my own students' writing processes. I think sometimes if we haven't written essays or memoirs ourselves, we forget just how difficult it can be. I teach some very creative, talented students, and I have even more respect for them now that I've been a "student" recently myself. I adapted our first memoir assignment for my English students; I think I told them that if I had to write a memoir, they had to write one too. I have read some of the most interesting, insightful, heart-rendering pieces that students have written in years because of that memoir assignment. I almost feel that because I was honest with them about what I was writing and the fear I felt in sharing my ideas and my words, they felt more comfortable about opening up with me.

I've read lots of memoirs over the years -- particularly since I started teaching AP Language two years ago with its focus on non-fiction. This class has just whetted my appetite and made me want to read more. I plan to continue writing as well -- maybe not for publication, but certainly for my own family. I've been amazed at how my children have been so interested in what I was writing. It makes me want to write more about them and about their growing-up years, so they'll have it in the future.