define "composition"

While reading the selections for tomorrow, I experienced moments of elation and confusion, back and forth, as I thought about what was really being said.

~stand in a corner and don't look at anyone.

~stand in front of the class and say "if i had the wings of an angel.

~go around the room and pat everyone on the back and say "it's all right"

And this mimics the chaos of our everyday lives?

I can see how some of the activities described make for a nice change of pace. But I can't help feeling that first-year composition should focus on actual writing and communication. Those who love to write in the first place will eat up whatever we throw at them. Maybe I'm being old fashioned-- or closed-minded?-- but the fact is that there are some first years who still have trouble with basic grammar, sentence structure, and organization in papers. And the informal writing used in texting and IMs and such doesn't help. Students need a place to learn and practice "formal" writing. We need to keep some kind of standard.

That being said, I thought that some of the activities described in the readings, such as the day of Silence were absolutley wonderful and brilliant for brainstorming and getting one's thoughts focused on writing. The reading on "freshman masks" was also good to think about. It kind of relates back to the idea of voice, although the more I think about that word, the more it seems that voice is something inevitable after all. "Developing" a "unique" voice might then just be removing the mask and writing whatever the writer feels, in words that he/she chooses.