The Importance of Writing Skills for Students (text)

The Importance of Writing Skills for Students By Donald T. McCarthy, M.F.A.

August 22, 2016

Learning how to write essays can be one of the drearier experiences for students in school, but it is also one of the most important. If students don’t learn how to master writing at a young age, they will have a more difficult time mastering the skill when they are older. The sooner they start, the better off they will be. This does not mean a first grader needs to know what a thesis is, but a first grader should be learning how to accurately put a sentence together, including what a subject, verb, and adjective are. Grammar goes by the wayside in some schools, which becomes a large problem in high school when students have to take the ACT and SAT since both tests have sections that evaluate grammar. Come college, professors (and remember: many of them write for their careers) have little patience for grammatical disasters in papers that are handed in.

What many college students forget is that writing well can sometimes paper over holes in their argument. A well written paper will always look better than a poorly written one even if the latter has better ideas in it. Sad to say, but having a mastery of writing and grammar will absolutely stick out to college professors who often have to read sloppily written student work.

But discussions of writing often end there, assuming writing and grammar are only needed for school purposes. Students need to write papers for school, but writing goes beyond that. Businesses need employees who can write, which is why they are often attracted to candidates with degrees in the humanities (English, History, Philosophy); humanities majors often have to write extensive papers and therefore have a knack for communicating ideas well. The digital age has not reduced the need for writing; if anything, it has increased it. Emails, websites, faxes, all require the written word. The clearer the message, the higher the chance of success. No matter the field, writing is necessary during some part of the process.

Even some entry level jobs will require a writing sample. It’s an under discussed part of the employment process, likely because it is hard to improve writing skills in a short time period and therefore doesn’t make for easy advice. If a candidate is put on the spot to write something, it is not easy to fall back on tips and tricks when s/he does not know the basics of writing. Already knowing the basics of grammar will set potential employees ahead. Very few people know the ins and outs of American English; showing a knack for it will make someone stand out. Grammar sounds like a dull topic (as someone who teaches grammar, I can assure you that it does not have to be, though!), but it can be important for success. If students are not getting attention to grammar in school, then it is imperative that they take the time to examine it at home, at some point. Even speaking in a grammatically correct fashion will make someone stand out (within reason that is; one doesn’t want to start to sound like a robot).

Learning how to write well also forces students to think better. They become more capable of analyzing what they read, interpreting data, and thinking critically. Reading is important, but it is only half of the equation. By writing, students are forced to take their own ideas and form them into something concrete, something defensible. This expands their ability to make coherent arguments, a necessary skill for any citizen in a democracy.

So writing is important even if one does not plan on becoming the next Stephen King. How students can become better writers is a question that has plagued many parents. As someone who has worked with students on writing, I can say that there is no easy answer. There is some truth to the idea that certain people are naturally better writers than others. Just like sports, writing is a skill that comes easier to some. However, this does not mean that students can’t become at least decent writers. They can. Most students simply lack the drive. And who can blame them? Students are usually given formulaic essays to write. Many of these essays are state mandated so teachers cannot deviate from them much even if they want to. I have found that, in the face of this, students respond well to learning how important writing is outside of school. This gives them a little more motivation to spend an extra hour on their paper, to consider editing their work before hitting the print button. There will always be students who find writing to be difficult, but, with the proper motivation, they may feel encouraged to give it another shot.