The Gold Standard

Write Right

Some dictionaries define writing as the product of a writer’s skills.

I believe that writing defines who we are. In this fast paced technological world, information is but a “google search” away and our ability to find answers to questions is easily accessed. But one thing that has not changed is the art of writing, our ability to communicate thoughtfully with words is still the same age old process as when my great grandfather crafted his biography for the New York assembly or my grandmother wrote every day in her journal. Such different purposes for writing, but it made their thinking visible, and permanent.

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My great grandfather, Frank Miller

A proficient writer, reader, businessman and politician.

He was a reporter in the 1930’s for Standard News Association

 and the Staten Islander

Arthur Wisner Hunt(my grandfather)
Writing letters home during WWI



Writing? Who Cares?

So why is writing so important? Brochures from Brown University state that, “Writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning, and your intellect will be judged – in college, in the workplace and in the community.”

As a teacher, I have always placed high value on reading and writing, however, for as much as instruction in these areas has changed, one thing has not. Motivating students to read and write, to work hard at it, is as difficult as ever. With the added distractions of video games, ipods, ds and xbox, students do not spend their free moments practicing writing. That, however, is what is most needed. Practicing writing skills is the key to becoming a better writer. The more you write, the better you will be at it. Those students who have pages and pages of small moment stories in their writer’s notebooks, who know that ‘when they say they’re done, they KNOW they’ve only just begun’ are the very ones who will achieve greater success in college and in their future careers.

Writing is the key to posing authentic questions, to explaining and responding to literature, to persuading and understanding how to form language. The more you write, the better you are at spelling, and self evaluating your own work. When you have the written word in front of you, you can revise and improve on what you have crafted.

Persnickety

Ralph Fletcher, my very favorite author and teacher of writing, who wrote “Boy Writers”, speaks to a very important topic. My most challenging writers are boys. It is not that they do not have good ideas. In fact, I have found that they have very interesting ideas for writing. But they seem to have one thing in common. They don’t like to write. Writing takes time and sustained focus. This is something that many boys don’t seem to have the patience for or see the importance of. Fletcher speaks to the fact that every assignment in our classroom needs to be put to a standard of creating lifelong writers. He says, “We’re not teaching writing, we’re teaching writers.”

"Good writing happens when human beings follow particular steps to take control of their sentences-to make their words do what they want them to do."

Ralph Fletcher

It’s Up to YOU

How often I have heard, “I’m not a good writer.” Yes, from students, mostly boys, over the years but the one person I hear it most often from is my own husband. He is, in fact, a good writer. He has great ideas, good humor, substantial knowledge base of information in his field, but yet, he does not view himself a writer.

There are, in fact, things YOU can do to become a better writer and build confidence in your ability. Published authors know that there is never a perfect first draft. All writing must be revised and edited many times. Writers are persistent. They are flexible. They listen to what others say about their writing. They read, read, read and improve their vocabulary. Finally, they study mentor texts and develop their own style based on what other authors do well.

In my own writing, I have found that studying mentor texts of authors I love has helped me build confidence as a writer and improve my writing abilities. In my classroom, I surround student writers with multiple mentor texts for every genre of writing taught. Everyone deserves to feel proud of their efforts! The key is to never give up.

REWARD YOURSELF

Louis Bloomfield, a Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia stated, “I rarely find writing easy, but I always find it rewarding.”

How true! That which makes us work harder is what we value most. Each piece of writing I have written is wonderful and special. I have worked hard at each piece and when I am finished I have a sense of pride that I have accomplished something worthwhile. Just as my great grandfather, and my grandmother, my writing is permanent, and makes my thoughts visible.

 “Be yourself. Above all, let who you are,

what you are, what you believe,
 shine through every sentence you write,
every piece you finish.”
 ~John Jakes~

Bibliography of Sources:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_importance_of_writing#ixzz1JmOdLzk2

http://EzineArticles.com/4419732