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Writing is everywhere – from the humblest work email to the loftiest epic novel. It enables people to communicate their innermost feelings and outermost political thoughts. It’s a fundamental skill in school, workplaces, interpersonal and romantic relationships.
And yet, for all its titanic importance, it isn’t often taught as a sole focus in high schools. Students learn the fundamentals of writing in their English classes. But how can high school students turn those fundamentals into a deep, enduring passion for written language?
It starts at home. In this article, let’s review a few ways to get high schoolers interested in various writing forms.
Grappling with Big Emotions: Journal Entries and Personal Essays
There’s a long tradition of teens keeping diaries, stretching back as far as mass literacy. Psychologists contend that this fascination serves concrete purposes during that stage of life. By logging their thoughts, teens can grapple with new, complex emotions and develop a safe personal space to air their frustrations about everything from romantic prospects to parents (sorry, mom and dad).
All that said, journaling is a magnificent “gateway drug” to a love of writing. It teaches teens that it’s okay to explore their emotions. And it helps them practice organizing thoughts into articulate, logical structures.
Exploring Their Imaginative Side: Fiction Contests and Challenges
While some teens love to look inward at the complicated inner workings of their personal lives, others like to look outward – at foreign lands, distant stars, peculiar situations and outrageous experiences. (Note: these two types aren’t mutually exclusive!).
Encourage the high schooler in your life to try fiction. At its best, fiction can be an intensely satisfying creative outlet, allowing one to explore the outer reaches of their imagination, while also practicing empathy and probing the human experience. Noteworthy challenges/contests like the annual NaNoWriMo might be the perfect place to start, a month-long novel-writing challenge that spurs writers into action.
Working Toward a Competitive English Program: Online English Courses
While most high schools do not offer a writing-specific course, most universities do. However, in order to enter those competitive programs, a high schooler must demonstrate their proficiency in classes like ENG4U grade 12 english.
If your high-school-aged writing phenom feels stifled by the pace of their current English classes, consider upgrading them to a self-paced, online school. At a self-paced virtual school, writing enthusiasts can work ahead in their English courses, advance to the next grade sooner, and graduate in a better position to enter competitive post-secondary English/writing programs.
It’s Business Time: Business and Entrepreneurial Writing
To get teens interested in writing, you have to make it relevant to them – to their concerns, ambitions and dreams. Therefore, if you have a teen who’s passionate about business and entrepreneurship, consider starting from that perspective.
A high schooler with an entrepreneurial streak might balk at the idea of writing an emotionally charged personal essay. But their ears will perk up when you remind them that writing is a fundamental skill in business communication, pitching and proposals. They need it to become successful. Thankfully, you can find several resources online germane to professional writing, as well as teen-focused entrepreneurial mentorship programs that also focus on writing.
While every teen is undoubtedly familiar with “text speak,” it’s essential to teach them higher forms of writing, too. Consider the points above to start sparking a love of written language in your high schooler.
