Improving the teaching of writing in schools

Improving the Teaching of Writing in Schools

I have learned many things about writing in my Writing and Rhetoric I class, but

something that I found to hold particular interest to, was how writing is taught in schools and

ways that it can be improved. Writing not only helps assist people in communicating their ideas

but also creates a visual of their thoughts in order to help one elaborate on their ideas. The

beauty of writing is the fact that it doesn’t fade away after it has been written down. Writing stays

in its original form after it has been expressed, which makes it easier to share with others and

not be forgotten. It also is a crucial skill that is used all throughout life and is essentially the

foundation for learning. Unfortunately, I think that our schools are doing a poor job of teaching

how to write. Instead of inspiring students to write with passion, students are taught to write for a

grade which causes them to simply go through the motions of writing which, in the end, makes

writing boring and dull. The way writing is taught should be improved because it will increase the

intellectuality of future generations and entice writers to not only be passionate with their writing

but to also enjoy the process. I believe this can be achieved by allowing students to write about

topics that hold a particular interest to them and not introduce writing with an outlined format but

instead exhibit to them that it is a process.

I have always been drawn to writing because I am an avid reader with a large

appreciation for writing and its beauty. I have attempted journaling and storytelling often in my

free time however, I have never been able to figure out how to write well while also writing just

for fun. Writing has always been a robot-like process demanded of me. I was so used to being

asked to start with a thesis statement, use research to support my claim, and conclude by

arguing my original thesis. I was familiar with the process of only doing these assignments for a

grade and my teachers were so familiar with getting through the content so we could move onto

the next assignment, whether we learned the material or not. Because of this, I have never been

fond of the writing process and have always struggled piecing words together and weaving them

in such a way that leaves the reader jaw-dropped. Although I am not published author, I have

definitely grown profusely as a writer and have overcome many obstacles to get to where I am

today.