An English Teacher of 25 Years Says Students Most Need These Four Things
Recently, I wrote to a high school English teacher with over 25 years of classroom experience, and asked what he believes teenagers most need to succeed in writing.
Here’s what he wrote back:
Ways to get started writing about unfamiliar things. Most kids don’t even know how to begin.
Expanding ideas. Often times, kids write very little and don’t understand how to expand thoughts or paragraphs.
Answering questions. Often, kids don’t know how to answer questions.
Specific word choice. Kids often think the best words to use will show up the first time we write. Only through revision do we recognize limits or mistakes or problems. But revision (like all good writing) takes time.
I often hear WWB parents expressing these same concerns about their teenagers. To help my students navigate these challenges, I teach what I call the Messy Model.
The Messy Model is an approach to brainstorming, writing, revision, and polishing that not only encourages new ways of thinking, but teaches and integrates writing skills along the way—such as answering questions, expanding on ideas, and finding specific word choice.
Because the Messy Model allows for not only success on a given assignment but also the integration of new skills, it creates truly transformative results.
When students engage in this approach, they also become stronger writers—and are better equipped to move forward independently.
I was thrilled the parent of a student who practiced the Messy Model with me on high school admissions essays this fall recently wrote:
“You truly helped and guided [our daughter] on her personal narrative essay journey, and gave her the experience and confidence to continue writing essays throughout the semester. By the end of the process, she was writing independently, adding details, and sharing her voice!”
This summer 2024, I’ll be leading several different 1-1 programs to help teach students the power of accessing their voice, ways to break down questions in order to tackle them with confidence, and how to approach revision.
I want to help prepare young people for their futures—whether high school writing, admissions essays, or creative writing—while connecting with their vibrant inner worlds.
In my experience, even students who aren't crazy about writing are often surprised by how good they feel about themselves and their writing along the way. With a coach who knows how to help students focus on quality and connection, their self-expression becomes inherently meaningful.