Can a Writing Teacher Be Effective Without Being a Writer?
Does a writing teacher have to be a writer to be effective?
Someone has asked me if I thought it is imperative that writing teachers should write themselves and I decided that I would let my mind ponder this subject. I did this in one of my three thinking places, the bathtub. As I had The Who, squealing out, Love, Reign O’er Me, emoting at a decibel level that’s only fair for the piece, I soaked and my thoughts traveled….
Hum…does a writing teacher have to be a writer to be effective? Does a policeman have to have been a criminal to be efficient? Does a Saint have to first be the worst of sinners to effect a change in the church? Does a clown have to have had a broken heart to bring joy to his audience? Do “educational experts” have to have been a teacher to be authoritative on the subject? (As you can tell, I do some of my best thinking while in the tub, listening to The Who.)
My first inclination is that the answer to these questions, putting the initial question aside, for now, is, “Yes!” My thinking is a policeman that has had some personal experiences with, at least, criminal thinking, will be more effective in his profession. The Apostle Paul understood and acted upon a more efficient way to draw people to the early Christian church, having once been a zealous prosecutor of New Testament times. A clown that has had his heart broken will throw himself into the role of bringing joy to his audience more effectively than one who has not. In my continued deliberating, an “educational expert” with classroom experience has a better understanding of what he is presenting.
Then, as the playlist moved on to Who Are You, my thoughts went in the other direction. Does a writing teacher have to be a writer to be effective? Do traffic controllers have to go out on a busy road to see what traffic is like on a street? Does a doctor have to have had every ailment to treat all patients? Does a chef have to eat all he creates to cook successfully? Does an expert on marriage counseling have to have been married to be effective?
At this point in my thinking, I let my head sink beneath the steaming water and I listen to the jets propelling waves. I rise out of the water thinking, “No!” a traffic controller can do his job effectively from the side of the road. A doctor can successfully treat illnesses he has not had. A chef can create delicious dishes he does not prefer and an unattached marriage counselor can dole out healing and healthy guidance.
As the water drains from the tub and Baba O’Riley is making its emotional appeal, I turn my mind’s eye on the scales holding the evidence. There are good arguments on both sides. Can a writing teacher be effective and not write regularly? If the issue was simply, “Can it be done?”, I believe that I would have to answer, “Yes” to this question but I do not believe that this is a question that can simply ask in this way. I think the question should be reworded. Can a writing teacher be as effective if he/she doesn’t write?
The main difference between the two groups described in my thinking is that the first group will know things that those in the second will not. This first group of people will have more practical experience to draw from. They have been in the “trenches” sort-of-speak and they bring with them the benefits of their experiences. The first group will also, potentially, have a passion for their work that those not immersed in this background. I call this having a heart for their work; the second group cannot authentically produce this.
Ironically, I make my conclusion while Behind Blue Eyes pleads passionately for understanding and compassion. I think writing teachers can teach without writing but they will not have the perceptivity of those who write. Writing teachers who write will have a superior understanding of the students who will pick up their pens and cry, “No one knows what it’s like….”
