Writing Skills

When we were children, learning to write was an adventure we were eager to embark on. The thrill of etching one's own name was only the beginning. Almost immediately we took to graffiti, communicating our deepest desires, beliefs, and fears in concise phrases: "I was here," ''Annie stinks," and "I love Mike." We understood tacitly what years of schooling since then have tried to unteach us-that writing is a new kind of power to wield.

Somewhere along the line, however, between the redpenned comma corrections and lectures on misplaced modifi- ers, we've forgotten that writing is about communication, not the elimination of errors. The incentive to learn how to use correct grammar and punctuation or to work on transitions and introductions is much greater when we understand that there is a practical purpose for our learning. The focus in language arts classes on the elimination of errors has poisoned many students' relationship with writing, leaving them frustrated, impotent, and antagonistic. The top 5 excuses and complaints I've heard from students speak volumes.

1. "I don't need to learn to write; I'm not going to be a writer when I grow up.” We are all writers. We use our writing skills (or are made aware of our deficiency in them) everyday to communicate with the world around us. For some of us, however, writing is an effortless exercise we use to our advantage, while for others the task is uncertain, painful, and loaded with the potential for ridicule.

2. "I'm not doing too well in English, but I'll make up for it in other areas." Writing is not an isolated skill. Failure to achieve proficiency in writing will affect a student's performance in all content-based courses including history, science, cultural studies, and government.

3. "I'll learn to write in college." It is generally taken for granted in college that a student already knows how to write. College courses push forward with specialized material, forcing those with deficient writing skills to work twice as hard for half the payoff.

4. "I know it's what I want to say, so why write it? It's just an academic exercise." We don't emphasize enough in school that writing is a learning process, not an exercise in regurgitation or stenography. When we write on a topic we learn more than we began with; our ideas become complicated, elaborated on, and more meaningful.

5. "I have nothing to say." When I hear students say this, I immediately interpret it as "I have lots to say, but I have nothing to communicate that I believe is worth writing." This inability to see writing as a form of communication intimately connected to both speaking and reading is detrimental to academic success, and can result in perpetual writer's block.

Writing is essential in today's society for personal growth, respect, and a professional edge. We should insure that when our children leave high school, their ability to write is a reliable tool that opens doors, rather than a source of insecurity and frustration. Students who develop good writing skills early on:

• Enjoy greater self-confidence 

• Perform better on all written tests 

• Have more energy to devote to the" content" of content-based courses 

• Get better grades • Are more fully prepared to handle the academic expectations of college 

• Are a few steps ahead when it comes to "real world" challenges such as applying for jobs,

communicating with employers, raising kids, and contributing to a community 

It is never too early to start building a positive and productive relationship with writing and the English language.