The Joys of Learning to Write

by Karen Kufahl

This article was written for the Birchwood community by subject specialist Karen Kufahl. She retired from teaching at Birchwood after 19 years of astounding dedication and professionalism. She is sorely missed.

My own journey into writing was vastly different than the one on which the Birchwood teachers guide their students. When I recall my grade school years, I’m sure I must have been required to compose a story or an essay at least a couple of times, but I honestly don’t remember writing a single one. By the time freshman English in high school rolled around, and I was finally introduced to writing narrative, expository, and persuasive pieces, the process was painful – write, erase, crumple papers to toss them on the floor, try to write again. Thank goodness when that unit was over! High school courses did require more writing but never enough to make me feel comfortable when confronting that blank sheet of paper. In college composition courses I well remember writing and rewriting each little 500-word essay the night before it was due, hating the long hours of effort it took to express my thoughts clearly in written form and ruining my 4.0 GPA by earning one of only two B’s during my college career, ironically enough, in an English composition course!

The real breakthrough for me came after my college years while doing volunteer work for my church, which required transcribing and editing spoken sermons, and later composing articles on at least a weekly basis. Once I was “forced” to write several times weekly, the process became easier. Several years later, I was offered a part-time job with a boss whose native language was not English. My primary responsibility was to compose letters, press releases, advertisements, and anything else that needed to be written for the company. Now that I had three hours to practice writing several days per week, writing on demand came more easily. By the time I returned to college shortly after that, the research papers and essays no longer intimidated me. Thank goodness because most of my courses required two complete essays every single week. I found that after learning the material, presenting my views in written form was no longer the huge challenge it had once been. I had learned to write by writing!

When I consider the Birchwood students who begin from the earliest grades to write a weekly story, I’m sure they do not realize how fortunate they are. Composing a story or essay, or doing yet another revision certainly isn’t quite as fun as running outside to play soccer or kicking back to relax with a favorite computer game, but the early training the students receive here is invaluable. At Birchwood it is almost unheard of for students to complain of “writers’ block” or to confront the blank page, unable to begin, unless they have transferred in from another school that didn’t allow them much opportunity to write. Years of training and practice build upon one another until students, even in the early grades, can write on demand, and write well.

Of course, all this writing deserves to be read. A caring teacher needs to compose constructive comments, always keeping in mind the delicate balance between praise for what is good, and tactful attention to what needs improvement. He or she also must find time to conference with students, guiding them on their own journey toward ever clearer written expression. All of this takes time, a lot it, and while different approaches can help: peer editing, checklists, rubrics, grading only one aspect of the student’s writing at a time – the fact remains that giving students constructive feedback on their writing requires a considerable investment of time on the teacher’s part. Although the process can be tedious, it is one I enter into willingly and with a certain sense of excitement. Why? Because writing affords unique insights into each student’s heart. Young students are achingly honest in their work – their hopes, dreams, fears, joys, and the occasional family secret all come pouring forth, and I am privileged to be their confidant as well as their partner in learning. Their writing also takes me to places I have never been. In my years as a language arts teacher, student writing has brought me to outer space, to countries throughout the globe, and to fairy tale worlds, to name only a few.

To those teachers who come after me and to parents who are working with their own children at home, I advise setting high standards. Expect a lot; insist upon it, and your students will rise to meet your expectations. When I first began teaching writing, the popular thought was, “Just let kids write. We want fluency.” Of course, I agree, but it is unfair not to take children higher, if they are ready. Even in the third and fourth grades, many students can apply proper spelling and correct grammar to their writing. Some can even begin to learn more complex skills such as the use of compound and complex sentences, writing a surprise ending, paragraphing, and writing correctly punctuated dialogue to develop the characters they have created. To save these skills for the later grades is to give students years of incorrect practice.

As a writing teacher or caring parent, you will find that you play the dual role of coach and cheerleader. No matter how difficult it may be, no matter how sloppy, contorted, or unclear the child’s writing may seem, couch your comments in what I have heard described as a “praise sandwich”: a positive acknowledgment of the student’s efforts, followed by pointers for improvement, and ending once again with praise for what is right about a composition. Writing is a complex process requiring higher-order thinking skills; it is not easy, and making the effort to record one’s thoughts takes courage. Receive the piece with enthusiasm and appreciation, and you will have opened the door for your students to trust you with their next composition.

Furthermore, do all that you can to inspire the children’s love for reading. Model good literature and point out why these books can be found in every library in the country. Tell them that by reading extensively, they will subconsciously absorb vocabulary and different types of sentence and plot structures. These will worm their way into student writing, making it richer and advanced beyond their years.

Yes, our current dedicated language arts teachers and those who come after them will sometimes begin writing yet another comment late at night which ends in a line that runs off the page. When this happens, we all would do well to keep this thought foremost in our sleep-deprived minds: we are doing something vitally important. No child will thank us as we assign yet another story or contest entry, but we will have the sweet satisfaction of watching a child grow from scarcely being able to convey a simple thought or action in a clear sentence to composing an engaging story or a clearly argued and convincing essay. We will witness the proud sense of accomplishment that a child feels upon sharing a piece with the class in which he succeeded in expressing his thoughts just right. We will see the unabashed delight on the face of not just the child who won a prize in a writing contest, but on the faces of all her classmates as the students celebrate success together. Finally, we will taste the unique sweetness of meeting students years later – all grown up and whom we need to glance at twice or three times to recognize – who will tell us, “I’m in medical school now. I’m a teacher. I’m an engineer. Thank you for the part you played by teaching me to write.”

From the 2018 September Birchwood School of Hawken Clipboard