Writing

At North this year our entire staff committed to a literacy and writing initiative. At the beginning of the school year, each department committed to department wide minimum writing standards, and in every content area students were given a variety of writing tasks. In addition, we conducted practice ACT writing tests for all of our juniors that were designed to give the students and parents an idea what strengths and deficiencies a student might have in writing prior to taking the actual ACT. We are anxious to receive the results of our spring MME to see if these initiatives had an impact on our juniors, but know that the single most important strategy in improving student writing is practice.

Recently a North parent, Sylvia Clark, approached me to tell me she had written a book entitled Standing on God's Promises which comes out in June. I was privileged to read an advance copy of what she has written, and was struck by her introduction. The basis for her book is journal writing that she had compiled over time. Through her personal faith and based on her own experiences, she has written about how events of her life are intertwined with her personal fate. One of the things that many of our students do in their courses is journal writing. Our hope is that like Ms. Clark, students extend this practice beyond high school. Writing is both a critical skill, and a tool for personal expression. It can be cathartic and exhilarating to write, and is a skill that extends beyond school and English classes to every facet of a person's life.

In looking for ways to improve your son or daughter's ability to succeed academically, I encourage you to promote journal writing, and regular written expression. Through practice, even with no instruction, students will improve as writers dramatically by simply writing. In addition, they get some no cost, effective personal therapy. If you are looking for other ways to help your son or daughter improve as a writer, contact a North English department member or me for ideas.