Priya Sirohi Mentor Group Teaching Philosophy The classroom should be a ongoing storm.

It should be the organic whirlwind of activities, discussion, writing, and camaraderie. I have never believed in copying the stenciled sketches of other peoples classrooms. Their demarcations and outlines were never for me. I crave and cultivate unique speed and flurry its the excitement of experimentation that I enjoy. Students have spent twelve years of education learning within the mold. My classroom is where the buck stops. Cultivation is key. And it happens by sewing camaraderie, shared resources, personal investment and class participation into the fabric of daily activities. We do ice breakers on the first and second days of the semester. And then we go on quests, or projects. In the initial days of each project, we have group note-taking activities. Much like people doing scavenger hunts, they dig through texts in groups with unique tasks, such as finding coherent examples of argument (and having justifications for their choices). At then end, we compile their findings into class documents or a repository of blog posts which I then share on a class website. These are their notes. They work together to create them. They are invested because they are going to use them to help their own work, and I am merely a touchstone. The also engage in rotating teams throughout the year to recreate Socratic Circles on topics of their choice related to the project. It is the integration of personal investment, interesting activities and projects, and a sense of fun adventure that gives energy to their work. It ultimately leads to better results in their writing. There are times when my classroom buzzes with underlife talk and laughter before I enter the room. Its a feeling I strive to always cultivate. This is not to say individual development isnt also important. Just as the classroom is about building connections between students, its also about building bridges between students and myself. I often ask to meet students in my office whom I feel are struggling. By taking time out to talk to each of my students during conferences, I make sure to keep track of personal growth. Their homework outside of class usually consists of writing personal reflections on a relevant topic in their blog, finding a personal tool/resource to turn in to me, or simply working on drafts of their projects. These assignments isolate the student, forcing them to rely on their own skills (and not merely that of the group) to create the final product. This is the product I ultimately grade. The work they do, in essence, is still their own, even while having a classroom of comrades (and an instructor) to help them. I attempt to balance group work with individual endeavors in order to cover skills sets needed in both types of activities. Composition on my syllabus may just look like a visual analysis, an editorial, a Wikipedia project, and an advertisement analysis. But in my minds eye, it is the holistic energy of connection. It is this connection that builds my composition classroom.