Should teachers in all subjects, not just English, require students to write well?
I agree – writing is writing, whether it is done for English, science, social studies, whatever. Students are required to take language arts/English in the hopes that the skills learned in that class will “spill over” into other disciplines. When they get to college and the job market, they’re going to be required to write well whether they’re a newspaper editor or a store manager, lawyer or scientist. It’s better that they start that now than to have a rude awakening later because they have no clue how to transfer their skills from the grammar textbook to real life situations. I read an article a few months back about a mother who was all up in arms because her son failed a social studies paper…it was written in text-speak. “It’s not English class, so why should it matter?” Wow. I’ve got to say, that one floored me. Yes, communication skills are important across the curriculum and should be enforced as such. Keep requiring proper writing skills! 🙂 JMHO…
