If there's one thing that drives any writing teacher crazy, it's when you give the students a prompt to write about, such as write about a time you were afraid, or write about someone you admire, or write about an unforgettable moment, and inevitably someone raises a hand and asks, "What if I never had that happen?"
Really? Really?
If students can't answer a question on a math assignment, do they need to ask what will happen? They'll get that one wrong. If they can't write about an atom or an amendment to the constitution in science or social studies, then their grade will be lower on that assignment. So why do we think that writing about our experiences is any different?
Part of being an effective writer is being able to find something to write about. Is it hard? Yep. But as a teacher, I will never excuse a student from trying. (I will help, though!)
Life Lesson: "This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard." ~Neil Gaiman
Really? Really?
If students can't answer a question on a math assignment, do they need to ask what will happen? They'll get that one wrong. If they can't write about an atom or an amendment to the constitution in science or social studies, then their grade will be lower on that assignment. So why do we think that writing about our experiences is any different?
Part of being an effective writer is being able to find something to write about. Is it hard? Yep. But as a teacher, I will never excuse a student from trying. (I will help, though!)
Life Lesson: "This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard." ~Neil Gaiman
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