Schuetz 1

Garrett Schuetz

CTW 11:45

Structure Stifles ​C​r​e​a​t​i​vi​t​y 

Throughout my personal experiences with writing, creative opportunities have been

squandered by use of structure, being forced to use specific formats with no room for creativity.

Despite my high school teachers giving me creative freedom on writing topics, we were still

forced to use a template to write with. I feel that teachers should encourage students to write in

different styles, developing a personal style that compliments their individuality, instead of being

forced to adhere by the guidelines set in place by education systems.

In my Junior High, we had to take the “Writing Proficiency Test”, which was a test that

essentially measured how closely you can follow the five paragraph structure given a topic

(which I only found out about afterwards). Despite my essay covering the topic and providing

the exact requirements they wanted, I had slightly deviated from the five paragraph form. They

didn’t let me pass and I was forced to come in during my lunch period and revise my essay.

Unfortunately, experiences like this destroy a students creativity, leaving them discouraged to

make creative writing choices at risk of being punished. In “Plagiarisms, Authorships, and the

Academic Death Penalty”, Howard talks about the effects of a negative interpretation of

plagiarism. Patchwriting is “copying from a source text and then deleting some words, altering

grammatical structures, or plugging in one-for-one synonym-substitutes” (Howard, 788).

Although the definition has negative connotation in an academic setting, it can actually be a

beneficial tool to students, allowing them to build off of other people's ideas and take a stance on

an issue they might not have fully understood. I believe that this can be compared to paragraph
 Schuetz 2

structures, as deviating from these structures can be beneficial for learning, but is considered

“wrong” or “unacceptable” by teachers. Howard also talks about the “positive approaches” that

teachers can implement to encourage non traditional methods to reside in schools (Howard, 789).

Instead of the typical dictatorship that students face in the education system, Howard believes

that teachers should promote and cultivate students’ creativity by allowing them to use

unconventional methods in a more democratic approach. Unfortunately, many teachers and

schools haven’t adopted these practices, marking students off for not following traditional

methods.

In “Reading the Lives of Others”, Bartholomae and Petrosky bring up the analogy of

hearing the author’s voice when reading a book. They say that “the pages before you will begin

to speak”, making an author’s individuality extremely important (Bartholomae and Petrosky, 1).

If an author has had the five paragraph essay format “beaten into them”, they will lose their own

structure, the very essence that makes them unique. This is where paragraph formats rid students

of their voice and creativity. From my personal experiences, students are not taught to write in

different styles directed at different audiences. Almost all of the essays I wrote throughout High

School were scholarly and written with the teacher as the sole author. Although everything that I

wrote was “academic”, I would have preferred to try other styles of writing such as poetry or

magazine writing but was forced to write essays in the standard MLA format. By experiencing

new techniques, I would be well versed in writing different forms of literature. However, by

being forced to use a specific style, my writing has been altered and it becomes difficult to

attempt to write in any other style. As a society, we should consider who should be in charge of

deciding that a writing style is right or wrong, as the wrong choice can negatively impact a
 Schuetz 3

student’s thought process, ridding them of the ability to creatively come up with new ways to

present information.

In Chimamanda Adichie's "The Danger of a Single Story", she mentions how a single

story can lead to stereotypes and the spread of misinformation. If our “single story” is the writing

style that we were forced to learn, we will be uneducated in other styles, denying the student a

well-rounded education. This is particularly concerning because school is a place where you go

to become educated, but instead students are forced to adhere to specific writing guidelines.

Adichie also talks about “how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story,

particularly as children”. If this is true, that means that teachers can have a profound effect on

how we learn and how we act. If teachers forced us to write in a certain paragraph structure when

we are young, we will be heavily influenced to continue writing that way. If we are taught from a

young age that there are other ways, we might be more inclined to branch out and consider trying

new writing techniques. Because of grading requirements of teachers, essays adhering to

standard guidelines makes the grading process easier, but in turn, strips the student of his/her

creative freedom. This is a problem I have with current education systems, and I believe that

educators should stray away from this strict method.

Since teachers force students to use specific writing styles, students believe that no other

method works. Teachers are in a position of extreme trust with their students, with students

naturally assuming that a teacher is always correct. As a student, you either follow the teacher’s

instructions or risk failing the assignment. This is the problem I have with paragraph structure; if

a teacher forces you to use a certain style, you believe that there is no other acceptable way to

write. Also, students are punished with a lower grade for thinking outside the box and trying new
 Schuetz 4

techniques which don’t conform to the standard formatting/template. Since creative writing is a

difficult topic to grade because of its subjectivity, all of the teachers I have had would mark me

down for straying away from the default essay structure. I personally felt that if I was able to

write in whatever format I wanted, I would be able to better explain my point, making it easier to

read and understand. Despite explaining this to my teacher, they would tell me to use the format

given to us and keep the same grade. If writing structures continue to be forced on students, there

will be less diversity in writing and kids will continue to be discouraged for thinking creatively.
 Schuetz 5

Works Cited

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. "The danger of a single story." (2009).

Bartholomae, David, and Anthony Petrosky. "Reading the lives of others: A sequence for

writers." (1995).

Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Plagiarisms, authorships, and the academic death penalty." College

English 57.7 (1995): 788-806.

 Schuetz 6

Section 1. Reflecting on your writing process

How did you begin? What was your reading process like? What about
planning/drafting?

I began by recalling my experience with the assignments I wrote in high school, and
looking through the different texts that agreed with my main point.

Section 2. What part of this writing assignment

are you struggling with? Can you highlight 2 or 3
specific places in your draft for your partner to
offer feedback on?

Try to avoid “grammar” and “format” as one of these three things. In our writing groups,
we are focusing on the higher order concerns like analysis and synthesis. However, if
you do feel like you need assistance with grammar, please feel free to set up an
appointment with me or contact The HUB.

What part of writing project 1 are you What specific places in your draft show
struggling with? this struggle?

1. Making big picture claims but Paragraph 3

being specific

Section 3. What part of this writing are you feeling

good about?
 Schuetz 7

I am feeling good about the main point of my arguments as well as the personal
experiences and supporting evidence

What is the relationship between democracy and education?

My educational experience has been more like a dictatorship, with the teacher providing a
structure that I had to follow if I wanted to write the “perfect essay”

What are the roles of a student/teacher in fostering justice?

The roles of a student are to make sure that you are writing with a purpose or meaning, or to
learn something. The teacher’s job is to make sure that the students realize what the purpose of
their writing is for.

Has education inspired creativity or structure?

In my life, education has attempted to inspire creativity, but has negated itself by using structure.
Every teacher I had encouraged me to write in structure format, and some went as far to mark
points off if you didn’t follow it. This frustrated me, because I wanted to learn how to write in
different styles and the reason for each, not just a template that I was forced to fill with
information.