ABSTRACT
This chapter argues for the inclusion of present temporality in national writing standards. Mindlessness is pernicious in every area of human life, and it’s apparent at the disciplinary level of writing instruction, contained in position statements by organizations of writing educators in the United States: the 2011 “Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing,” 2014 “WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition,” 2015 CCCC “Principles for the Postsecondary Teaching of Writing,” and the 2016 NCTE “Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing.” In these policies, mindlessness manifests in future-oriented rhetorics and praxis: the downplaying of interiority and writer presence, the mishandling of the preverbal, formlessness of consciousness, and the omission of the affective experience of writing students, not the least of which is the suffering caused by writing instruction. The impact of these policies of mindlessness filters down into writing instruction on a school-by-school basis, affecting the next level of curricular and policy documents at colleges and universities. Furthermore, routine aspects of the composition classroom, such as assignment design and grading, hand instructors more roadblocks to mindfulness. Ultimately, mindlessness in writing policy can be redressed through a present-based metacognition that underscores a more mindful approach to self and audience.
