{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02753623188405797, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 4.80672268907563, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Student Choice in Writing

Why do I do that to myself? As a secondary English teacher, I want desperately for my students to pursue their own interests in their writing, but then I am stuck negotiating topics that push the envelope (read: make me uncomfortable): suicide attempts, cutting, abusive boyfriends, and drug use. When a student noted on his submission that it had “been altered to be appropriate for acadamic [sic] criteria,” I was forced to recognize the gap between my intentions when offering student choice and the reality that plays out in my classroom. Ultimately, my reflection uncovers what it will take for me to allow students real freedom of choice with their writing.