Write better, every day
Tuesday's No. 2 editorial.
Margaret Mitchell wrote one novel and made it count. So did Harper Lee. It’s fair to judge the two Southern authors solely on the strength of “Gone With the Wind” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” respectively.
Evaluating North Carolina fourth- and seventh-graders on the results of a one-day state writing test wasn’t fair or helpful. The State Board of Education was correct to drop the requirement last week.
The test was faulted as a constantly changing yardstick that forced schools to guess at the best preparation methods — which may or may not have actually inspired better writing.
In its place, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction will develop a writing instruction regimen for all grade levels. DPI’s track record doesn’t inspire overwhelming confidence, but the idea of making writing a constant priority is sound. Students should write every day from the time they learn their ABCs until they graduate.
Writing requires thinking, one sentence after another. Students must develop ideas, organize them and express them in an orderly narrative in clear, correct language. If done well, the result is effective communication. Good writing is a useful skill in every subject, and it should be a part of the curriculum in every class.
“It can’t just be practicing a couple weeks before the writing test,” Mack McCary, Guilford County Schools’ chief academic officer, told the News & Record last week.
That sort of cram-coaching doesn’t prove anything. Students must mature as writers just as they grow as thinkers — steadily and constantly. There should never be a day in school when they don’t write, just as there should be no day when they don’t think.
Mitchell and Lee actually didn’t just sit down one day and spit out their great novels as if they were taking a writing test. Their work was the culmination of a process of learning to write.
Not everyone can write a masterpiece, but everyone can learn to write better, every single day.
Comments (3)
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I'll be grateful for all of my life that my mother taught me the value of good writing skills. Spelling and grammar were only the start of it. Developing the craft of writing has led me to write several books and countless essays on many different subjects. True, it would have been far MORE pleasant had I managed to get a publisher, editor or agent the slightest bit interested in my stuff. But I've been told on occasion that you can't have everything.
Posted on June 10, 2008 7:19 AM
I attended a school where they thought all the liberal arts--English, math, science, history, etc.--were important. But if we graduated and were truly proficient in our native tongue, that is able to read and especially write with clarity, precision and a bit of grace, then they had really done their job. For reading and writing well are the basis for learning all other subjects.
Posted on June 10, 2008 12:19 PM
It seems like computer technology can really help kids become better writers. Teachers in some places are creating moderated class blogs, in which students discuss issues or experiences that are important to them. As much as possible, learning should be connected to lived experience so kids can develop their natural potential.
Posted on June 10, 2008 3:13 PM