Review of "What I've Learned from Teachers of Writing", by Donald Graves

The article appeared in the November, 2004 issue (vol. 82 #2) of Language Arts from the National Council of Teachers of English. Recently, it seems, teachers have been moving away from teaching writing in order to focus on standardized test subjects. I always thought that this was counterproductive and that reading and writing went hand in hand. The article borrows from the thinking of many different teachers to discuss the overall thinking on writing in schools today.

The article's main point is that children should be writing in schools as much as possible. More importantly, the students should be permitted to write about what they know and like. From there, the teacher takes what has been written and shows the student how to make it better. The article points out some problems that are preventing this from happening. First, is the role in which teachers have been placed. Since there is so much emphasis on just reading (for the standardized tests) that nobody has really taken a look at the relationship between reading and writing. Second, the emphasis on testing means that teachers are focusing more on method than technique and judgment. Graves says that at this point teachers become nothing more than "mechanics."

Where the article really shines is in the discussion of new and old ideas about writing for children. I definitely agreed with the idea that there does not always have to be a second draft. Sometimes you get it right the first time and to make corrections because they a second draft is required messes up the creative process. I also like the discussion of focusing on character development over plot development when writing. Many new writers get hung up on creating a good plot; they forget that the characters are what actually drive the story.

One of the great parts of the article is the discussion of things that are needed for students to be successful writers. From students being allowed to choose their topics to keeping a collection of their work as a writing history, Graves discusses ideas that should not seem new to anyone. The problem is people are seeing these as new. So much emphasis has been drawn away from writing. Teachers need to be ready to show the students that writing is supremely important in every aspect of life and then give them ownership of that idea and let them loose.

I absolutely loved this article. Graves puts onto paper what has been floating around in my head for quite a while now. Writing has been neglected of late, and teachers really need to get the focus back. I understand that there is so much emphasis on testing, but in my opinion it seems stupid to teach reading without teaching writing. Students will never get an appreciation for how what they are reading came into being. They need to understand that words do not simply spring to the page. They need to participate in the creative process.

And that is where I would utilize this information in my classroom. I would allow the students to write! What a novel (pardon the pun) idea! I would give the students the opportunity to write for them and their peers before I ever consider assigning something to write for me. I would let them create without constraint to let them build confidence. Then, when they feel comfortable with the process, I can see what they can do with a more traditional writing assignment. As the article plainly states: "Writing should be taught."