Originality

From the time we are young students we are told to use proper grammar, conventions, paragraph formation, etc. We are told to put a certain amount of sentences in each paragraph, we are told the topics to write about, the voice to write in and many times we will turn in a paper and get it back with negative feedback about our own personal ideas. Although, I do think that some of this is beneficial, I think that sometimes it can teach us, as writers, that there is a "right" and a "wrong" way to write. However, Lamott writes that, "All the good stories are out there waiting to be told in a fresh, wild way" (Lamott, p. 181). He speaks about how we all offer our own perspectives and ideas and originality and in order to write a good story we need to use these things.

I think this was a very good lesson to learn as a teacher because I think it is important to teach your students to be creative, to express their ideas in an original way and to not simply re-write stories they have already heard. I think it is important as a teacher to create a safe environment where the students are not scared to make mistakes, scared to write in their own way or scared to turn in something that is not exactly the way a writing book tells them to do so.

I also want to acknowledge that I do think it is important for students to know the basic principles of writing. Nobody wants to read a story that they can't understand or follow. However, I think too often we can hinder students creativity by shooting down ideas that don't follow the 'norm'. Lamott understands the importance of a "fresh" story and I think this is an idea that gets passed over a lot in schools.