Knowing How to Write Will Never Lead You Wrong

Awhile ago, I was doing some volunteer work which afforded me the opportunity to meet many different people of all ages and professions. One woman I met was a retired English teacher, and through our time together we discussed the "good old days." As I headed home, I thought about our conversation and came to the conclusion that some things you learn in school actually do come in handy.

I discussed my quick trip, and she told me of her long commute. I talked about my passion for pop/rock music and she mentioned her love of opera. I spoke of my joy for writing and she recalled memories of her teaching days. She had become infamous for giving her 7th grade students a large paper that accounted for a third of their grade. That sounded very familiar, and I told her how I used to hate when teachers assigned huge, monster reports. The hours spent in the library pouring over dusty books, flipping through some for a mere snippet of information, squinting at the micro-fiche machine for back issues of magazine articles, the ruined weekends, the outlines, the first, second and final drafts, the editing and re-editing...not exactly how a kid or teenager would choose to spend any free time.

When I told her all of this, she answered back that research papers and well-written essays are an important tool to learn. Not only does writing help you through high school and college, but in life in general. Even if you aren't aiming for a career in journalism, moments come up when at least knowing where to start comes in handy. Business reports, speeches, writing letters; it's all connected. It's much like parallel parking; maybe you don't do it everyday, but if needed, you'll be glad to have learned it. Till this day, she had students come up to her at random times; thanking her for helping them to develop good writing skills. Then she posed the question to me:  "Don't you use what you've learned from English class?" I had to admit defeat on that one.