Life is short. That is the simple and unforgiving fact that cannot be avoided. It can often pass by as quickly as it comes when noses are buried in our cell phones instead of observing and appreciating the changing of seasons or the orange-purple sunset that concludes each day. That one idea— to pay attention— is what drives Alice Steinbach 's philosophy on writing along with a collection of other tactics taught to her by her ninth grade creative writing teacher Miss Dennis, which is showcased in her essay "The Miss Dennis School of Writing". Steinbach creates a well-rounded philosophy consisting of many elements throughout the essay.…
Roy Peter Clark’s essay, “I Won’t Use Writing as Punishment, I Won’t…,” proposes to eradicate the predisposed thought that writing is a penalty for doing something wrong. The analysis of feelings by Sigmund Freud in comparison to the punishment and reward system of B.F. Skinner, introduced students to the predisposed phobia of writing that has been embedded by our education system. Clark pints out that teachers petition the use of writing to gain control and create the impression that writing is an instructive and beneficial tool. However, writing used as punishment, offers no constructive fundamentals of education.…
In conclusion, writing starts with a thought and is effective by using the three rhetorical appeals. As school writers, we need to understand that before we can make good writing, we should be certain about what we are writing. We end up plainly appended to the world by being detached. We are the future thought generators of this stone turning through space. We have to discover things ourselves before we go forcing what we believe are facts onto others due to engaged…
The amount of knowledge varies greatly between the academic grade levels of students. Writing paragraphs are simple for some, but a complex task for many. Students are advancing in their academic “careers” without obtaining the proper knowledge of writing or grammar skills. This puts…
The essay titled Writing, in the book The World Is a Text, by Patty Strong, the autothor explains how she believes "writing is thinking". She informs us how in highschool writing, students do not, as well are not, expected to put as much thinking into their writing compared to students that attend college. Strong points out that though teachers those of a college do care that their students do well, the students are on their own when it comes to their success. College students are expected to understand that their success is in their own hands therefore their writing better show that success is what they are aiming for. After reading this essay and understanding Strongs views on writing, I see writing in a different way.…
In the article ‘Why Kids Can’t Write’, Dana Goldstein, an education writer for The New York Times, reports on how teachers are avoiding basic grammar and writing skills in the classroom and how some teachers are going to do to change that. Judith C. Hochman, Founder of an organization called the Writing Revolution, displayed examples of students work. She says, “It all starts with a sentence.” Hochman focuses on the fundamentals of grammar but many educators are less concerned with sentence-level mechanics and more concerned about children drawing inspiration from their own lives for their writing. According to the most recent study done by the National Assessment of Educational progress three-quarters of both 12th and 8th graders lack proficiency…
There are certain things that many believe are standard of all writers and writings. In “Demystifying Writing Misconception,” Joseph Moxely demonstrates the reality in these misbeliefs about writing. These misconceptions such as, all writers love writing, and never use the word “I” are how I developed my definition…
To most teenagers, writing is a chore and is typically the reason us teens stay up to 1 o’clock in the morning trying to finish essays. For Steve Martin to say, “Writing is one of the most easy, pain-free, and happy ways to pass the time in all the arts.”, (5) as the first sentence of his story, is a great way to get people to not finish reading his story. This story was meant for people who enjoy to write, teach writing, or have a passion…
A young freshman in college is anxiously checking her schedule for her first semester. She examines her paper carefully and sees she is taking English 112. She stopped and asked herself why she would take English 112? She ponders for a reason to take this writing class after she already took at least four English classes in her high school years, plus English 111. She felt she already ‘knew’ how to write.…
Because of a five paragraph paper I had to write in this class, I learned that writing is never as bad as I think it will be. At first, I thought IEW’s curriculum was hard and boring. Of course, as a ten year old I didn't see when I’d ever need to write a long essay about a certain topic when I could just talk about it. When I’d get sent home with a three paragraph paper on some historical topic due then next week, I didn’t ever look forward to it.…
Before English 1157, I wanted to cry at the thought of writing an essay. I had always considered myself to be a horrible writer and I just had to accept the fact that I would never be good at it. Instead of being taught how I could improve my essays in high school, the teachers were only worried about the 5-paragraph essay format. With that being said, Dr. Rutledge mentioned how he hated that format and would give us an F if we used it.…
Parents and teachers often have trouble deciphering what they wrote, and also students struggle with reading their own notes sometimes. Graham remarks that, “All beginning writers struggle with fluency and legibility to some extent, and that inevitably affects their approach to composing. Young writers typically cope with the multiple demands of handwriting and composing by minimizing the composing process (planning, organizing, etc.)” (Graham, 2010, p.50). If there is early attention put into handwriting about student’s legibility there will be a decrease in the likelihood of them becoming poor writers in the…
Empowering students to try something that they wouldn’t otherwise try can potentially impact so many. Perhaps, students will consider going to community college or teaching others to feel confident in their abilities. They might even consider trying to find a cure for cancer. Regardless of the effect, social change can begin from the smallest act. This study provided students with proof that they are capable of writing.…
With the teacher’s help, students work as a group to develop their own story. Accuracy at this stage is not as important as fluency. Positive feedback and encouragement, however, are extremely important, as students need to feel good about themselves. Students are encouraged to write in their journals on a daily basis. It is also important to note that teachers do not need to mark and correct everything the students write.…
As students tote through grade school they are taught writing in a structured one-size-fits-all formula that claims to mold their writing into developed responses. One of the most common of these approaches is the five-paragraph essay. Despite the attempt to create a formula that promotes a positive understanding of academic writing, students and teachers express their discontent for the approach. Some believe that when students limit their own thinking by analyzing every writing composition as something which can break down into a formulaic approach, “this organizational structure overrides their invention and overall intellectual efforts because it invites discord and limits development.” However, while this presents a huge problem our educational…