Chapter Four of Reading, Writing, and Rising Up

The most interesting part of this reading for me was what Christensen has to say about students avoiding being creative or taking risks with their writing because they are afraid of making mistakes. A side effect of society's emphasis of grammar leads many students to worry that writing freely and without stress. Granted, grammar and spelling errors can be distracting to teachers as the reader, but the important thing about students writing is their message and what they are trying to say. The point they are trying to make and what they want to get across through their words and tone is the most important factor during writing exercises and free writes. Using words students use at home is the best way to make them feel comfortable, and thus more able to write meaningful things.