Correctness

The part I found most interesting was the section about writers being afraid to just write because they are so hung up on writing incorrectly. This makes me think of a teacher I had in high school who would turn her student's papers back with red corrections everywhere, and that was soley what her grading was based on. I think that there is a lot more to a piece than just the grammar. I think about the article I read on migrant workers' children in schools and how they struggle with this same problem, which makes them not enjoy writing. I think that enjoyment with a piece is so important in making it meaninful and purposeful to both the reader and the writer. I think as a future teacher, it is important that we look at the content of a paper, and not just spelling and verb tenses. I am definitely not saying that I feel these errors should go untreated, I just feel that when grading a paper, teachers should look at what the writer is actually saying, as well as the grammar, but the content is what should hold the most weight. Mini lessons and things of that sort can be done to grade soley on grammar, punctionation, etc. An essay is not the time for that. Students need to feel comfortable when they are writing and this can inhibit them from doing that. A good solution I always liked was having students do quick writes, also known as free writes. This gives them opportunities to focus only on what they are trying to say and not worry about being graded on spelling and things of that sort.