BLTN

Better late than never, eh? I'm finally sitting down to write a response to the high school writing question. My mind is rather numb from the repetition of "Tom and Jerry" in the background. My fingers are rather numb from the silicone (no, I did not have finger augmentations) caulk I'm using to "finish" the kitchen. My legs are going numb from a certain little boy that thinks he has to sit on my lap whenever I want to type. So, this should be brilliant! I am comfortably numb (do I have to cite that?)

I missed most of high school. I vaguely remember a few classes and some of the time spent wandering the halls. I think. Maybe that was somewhere else. I, being a bibliophile, perfected the method of reading while walking, "listening" to lectures (I could still comment intelligently on the given subject, which, for some reason, drove my teachers crazy,) eating and most anything else that "had" to be done in high school. I had a harder time reading while writing, since I sometimes ended up transcribing my book rather than filling in the dates for history. I was always in the "advanced" English class since the powers that were thought that if I could write, I could read. I guess I could.

My sister sat down with me when I was in the third grade and explained the glorified five paragraph essay. "First you tell them what you're going to tell them. Then you tell them what you are telling them. Last, you tell them what you told them." She taught me so that I could enter some city essay contest. I didn't win (a blow I have never recovered from. NEVER!)

In Junior High we had the normal "writing process" lessons. The teacher specified the size of note cards we were to use, the process of taking notes, the writing of outlines, the rough drafts and all that. I thought it absolutely silly. I wrote my paper and then went back and wrote my outline. My rough draft wasn’t much different from my finished report. I didn’t get anything out of the exercise (although writing the outline after the paper has come in handy when required.)
In A.P. English I had Mrs. Van Dyke, who was wonderful. I don't remember any specific writing instruction, just many practice essays which were handed back with nothing but a score on top. I’m not sure if I came out of her class a better writer than I went in, but I passed the A.P. test and got my A, which is all that mattered to me.

In school I have always been a task, or product, oriented writer. That’s what I had to do to get by in school, to get the grade– what else matters? That’s still my attitude with most every writing assignment. I don’t see the point in going through the entire "process" when I know that I can research and write an essay in three hours and still get an A. It’s actually become rather boring, on the most part. The whole thing is "jump through the hoop" mentality. Read this, write about it. Read this, write about it. Read this, write about it. Ad nauseam. I don’t think it makes me a better writer, rather, it makes me a sloppy writer.

I’ve been going to college now for ten years off and on (oooh, dang, it’s actually eleven.) I haven’t felt challenged in any class that required writing before (or since) spring semester 2004. Amazingly, I enjoyed the challenge and the writing even though I didn’t get my perfect A. I can see progress in my writing since High School. I’d be surprised if I didn’t. However, I attribute my writing to reading.