Our kids can't WRITE! Even students in excellent schools aren't getting it. When my junior high school daughter (let's call her Julie) came to me for help with an important paper, I made a discovery. She could write, but she didn't re-write. Composition teachers had taught her how to count long, medium and short sentences to improve the rhythm and flow of a story but there was little attention given to content and critical proofreading.
Although I had helped her many times before, we hadn't discussed the editing process. As a broadcast editor, I was accustomed to helping colleagues improve their work without my re-writing their copy. Now it was time for Julie to become her own proofreader. Looking back, it was probably best that we hadn't tried this sooner. It is difficult even for professional writers to be critical of their work. Our words represent our thoughts, and we take pride in the product. Self-esteem can take a beating at the hands of a tough editor.
Luckily, (for both of us) Julie was serious about her writing. She really wanted to make it as good as it could be. As we talked about unnecessary words and getting to the kernel of meaning, things began to click. She began to throw out whole paragraphs and take a much closer look at word choices. Julie made straightforward persuasive statements. She had always made excellent grades, but now her teachers commented on the quality of her work. Her writing became outstanding. Wise classmates began to ask for her proofreading help. Julie wrote a couple of award winning fun books in junior high. Among almost 500 students in her high school graduating class she alone received an excellence award from the English department.
My son was a different challenge. When I tried to teach him some of the same lessons, he balked at some suggestions, especially word choices. I had often paraphrased Mark Twain: the difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug! But my son often chose a word that wasn't nearly the right one because he preferred the way it sounded! I lost the argument several times. Curiously, his teacher's never seemed to notice. His grades were terrific. Eventually, though, he too vastly improved. He would always ask me to read his work, but only changed what he wanted to. Now in his senior high school year, he is known as a talented, creative writer to teachers and his peers.
My kids learned that their writing could be much better if given a critical eye. They began to delete everything unnecessary and chose the best words. These skills made them more critical readers, too. They learned to separate themselves from their work and not to make a personal investment in every word.
If I had to do it all over again, I would start sooner and in a different way. In order to protect the child's self esteem, we would use someone else's writing. The local newspaper, unfortunately, is a great place to start. Most newspapers are written at a fourth or fifth grade level. That age is probably a reasonable place to start for an average student. Choose an article about something the child is interested in to read aloud. If the child is a good reader, have her read it. (Don't make this a reading lesson.) First look for obvious typo's. Then go through the article looking for unnecessary words. You may have to point out a few, but your child will catch on. (Completely destroyed is one of my favorites.) Next look for other mistakes, depending on the child's ability. As you get out of your depth, consult a grammar book. An excellent classic is free on line. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. is all many writers ever need.
Turn this new knowledge into a fun and useful tool with the "Proofreader's and Editor's Symbols". This set of mark-up symbols for editing papers is also available on-line. After using this method on the writings of local journalists, your child should be better equipped and confident enough to take on her own writing.
Now that my daughter is a junior in college, and her brother is a senior in high school, he allows his sister to mark up his papers (sometimes). She is always careful to say how much she LIKES his paper, before she hands him the marked-up mess she has prepared for him.