I currently have several students who can sit through an hour-long writing class without writing one word. One boy, when asked to list his ideas, insisted that he had none. When I emailed his mother, she sent back a one-word reply: “Ugh.”
New York Times columnist David Brooks offers an explanation in his recent column, “What Our Toxic Culture Does to the Young”. He writes that Gen Z students (ages 8-23) are more risk averse than those of previous generations: “In 1991, 48 percent of eighth and 10th graders said they liked to take risks sometimes. By 2021, that number had plunged to 32 percent.” He also notes that his college students are “less willing to argue with one another in class” because they fear being “viciously judged.”
These fears are often activated by writing assignments. Students don’t feel safe putting their thoughts on the page because they might be criticized. Unfortunately, the only way to learn to write is by doing just that--writing a draft so that someone can tell you what’s wrong with it. This anxiety can be crippling when it comes to writing, which is almost invariably a creative, risk-taking endeavor that involves many false starts and wording changes.
Addressing that fear isn’t easy, but it’s essential that we at least essay to debunk it. My father, a writer, says that you must write and discard one million words before you can consider yourself a writer because good writing requires many drafts and revisions.No one gets it right the first time. Not me, not your favorite author, not anyone. The smooth, polished writing that looks so effortless is actually the product of intensive work. It takes me eight to ten hours to write and revise one of these blogs; this paragraph has been in the works for an hour or so.
Here are some tips that can help reduce student anxiety and encourage more risk-taking when writing.
Stress that writing is a skill. Learning to write is like learning to play a musical instrument or competitive sport. It takes hours of practice, many mistakes, and much revising to become a writer.
Tell students that “essay” is both a noun (a piece of writing) and a verb that means to try, to make an attempt (see above). Something one essays may or may not work; what’s important is the process of trying to get it right.
Assure students that everyone’s writing is bad at first. Share your own writing struggles by having them watch you write something in class. Making your process visible can demystify the writing process for students and make them less self-conscious about trying it themselves.
Warn students that they may have a negative emotional reaction to criticism of their writing. Explain that everyone feels that way but that it’s important to put the feelings aside and just write anyway. I sometimes tell new students about the dissertation adviser who said that she would only consider signing off on my work because she knew I needed to graduate and get a job. I went home, cried, and said very bad words about her to my husband. Then I got to work. The fifty new pages I wrote to address her criticisms resulted in a much stronger final draft. Sharing such experiences prepares students for the revision process by acknowledging that pretty much everyone has a hard time hearing criticism of their writing, even if the teacher first tells them they have “interesting ideas.”
Share other students’ writing. I often assemble a list of “bloopers” from a given class assignment. Students enjoy correcting other students, and they feel reassured when other writers make the same mistakes they do. They become less fearful about how others will respond, so their writing becomes more fluent.
Writing is inevitably a creative process. Getting it right requires considering options and taking risks. Today, when too many young people are suffering from crippling anxiety and depression, writing teachers can provide students with safe spaces in which to be wrong so that they can proceed successfully through the process of getting it right.
Elizabeth Breau, Ph.D., is a private English tutor and the author of History According to SAT: A Content Guide to SAT Reading and Writing. Her website is historyaccordingtosat.com. She can be reached at elizabeth.breau@gmail.com and is currently accepting new students.
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