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The Changing Times

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Tallahassee, Florida Tuesday, November 18, 2014 2 pages five


cents
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Recently, with budget
cuts, the question on
educators' minds is, Is
creative writing actually a
useful class for students to
take? Many argue that it is
not and are trying to cut it
out of the curriculum
altogether. Opponents of
creative writing courses
claim that they are a waste
of time for students and
teachers alike. But is this
really true?
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According to Brittney
Galan, a former creative
writing student, they are
most definitely a good use
of class time, for more
reasons than [she] can
count. Galan states that
she would hate to see the
day that creative writing is
removed from schools,

thinking to myself, 'You can


make it until fifth period'
just to get myself through
the day, she recalls. For
her and many other
students, creative writing is
their sigh of relief.

Creative
Writing: Is It
Helping Our
Children?
But just what about it
makes students like Ms.
Galan feel this way? Well,
for starters, it allows
students to express
themselves without
judgment or criticism
(Simpson, 2014, p. 1). Of
course there is grading
involved in a creative
writing course, but
students' writing will not be
scrutinized for every
misplaced comma or
condemned if it does not
meet a specific word count.
Students feel free to
release their inhibitions
onto the pages
sometimes discreetly,
sometimes indiscreetly.
Galan thinks that self
expression is extremely
important, and we, as
students, do not receive an
opportunity to do that in

employed in these tasks. Teachers


seem to prefer to take the easy way
out by keeping coursework
traditional and, honestly, boring.
As Wallace-Segall (2012) ponders,
Where will we be if we graduate
a generation of young people who
can write an academic paper on the
Civil War but have no power to
convey the human experience? (p.
2).
We would be among a
generation of people disconnected
from themselves and others,
unaware of the benefits of selfcontemplation and reflection
through writing. That would be a
sad, lonely world. I firmly believe
meditating on one's thoughts and
experiences is the key to
happiness, and this can be done
easily through writing, even if it's a
far-fetched narrative, Galan adds.
It is important to note that
creative writing has academic
benefits as well as personal
development benefits. The
coursework produces innovators
and generates inventors by
enticing students to expand upon
things they know and build new
concepts (Simpson, 2014, p. 1). It
is also extremely useful for ESL
students. According to Cintron
(2014), By introducing an
element of creativity into written
lessons when learning English,
students can not only have more
fun learning a language, but also
speed up their learning process

because at her high school,


it was a highly gratifying
experience. It was the best
period of the day. I
remember watching the
clock anxiously all morning
and

and boost their confidence (p. 1).


Creative writing courses allow
ESL students to practice their
budding language skills, and
native English speakers profit
from this practice as well; it is
useful for pragmatic reasons like
expanding vocabulary and
becoming a proficient writer.
Galan says, Creative writing
classes belong in schools, and
students deserve to have this kind
of course offered to them, and she
is right. With something as
multifaceted and advantageous as
the creative writing process, it
would be a disservice to our
students to deprive them of this
course. It is more than just useful
it is essential.

our core classes.


On that note, Galan
brings up another issue within
the school system that creative
writing resolves. Students have
analytical thinking drilled into
their heads through endless fiveparagraph essays and innumerable
argumentative papers, and creative
thought is not likely to be

Reference List
(B. Galan, personal communication, November 17, 2014).
Cintron, K.M. (2014). Creative Writing For the ESL Student. Retrieved from
http://www.eslpartyland.com/creative-writing-esl-student
Simpson, D.M. (2014, September 23). 20 Benefits of Creative Writing. Retrieved from
http://theparentisaschool.com/20-benefits-of-creative-writing/
Wallace-Segall, R. (2012, October 4). A Passionate, Unapologetic Plea for Creative Writing in Schools.
Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/a-passionate-unapologetic-pleafor-creative-writing-in-schools/263212/2/

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