I am not yet a teacher. In the fall of 2019 I sat out on a journey to become one by signing up for my first graduate-level course, Composition Theory. During this class I was introduced to many new terms; one of which was basic writer. Since I see definitions as socially constructed and as dependent upon context, in my newness to the discipline, I felt it particularly important to have clear definitions for new terms. Consequently, I searched the scholarship, waiting for a definition to emerge that might help me conceptualize the basic writer. I soon discovered there is lengthy discussion about how BW pedagogy is meant to respond to the needs of the basic writer, but very little discussion on who the basic writer is. The few basic writer descriptions I did encounter seemed, at least in my mind, to be conflicting.

My final assignment in Compostion Theory was to analyze a pedagogical approach to writing instruction. My choice was basic writing. This website was borne out of my search for a definition, my analysis of basic writing theory, and my growing interest in the subject. As is my understanding of the basic writing issues, this site is a work-in-progress. I have no doubt both the site and my thinking will be revised each time I engage with the more than forty-years of scholarship and am able to see more deeply into this complex subject.

I feel fortunate to have come away from my Composition Theory journey with a strong interest in basic writing (BW). This is because BW has called my attention to an important first-year composition (FYC) reality: that in a single FYC class I will encounter a wide variety of students, each having traveled along a different literacy path, each having unique experiences with and attitudes toward writing and reading. I see more clearly now my challenge - to respond equally to each student according to his or her particular needs.