I am writing to share a personal experience that dovetails with the point that Nancy Steenson made in her Dec. 16 “My Turn” column on the writing crisis in our schools.
Many years ago, I worked on an archaeological project in Annapolis, Maryland, that included high school students from the state of Maryland’s summer program for gifted and talented students. Because archaeology was a relatively new offering, not that many students knew to apply for it. Consequently, on the day that students were assigned to various programs, we archaeologists often had to wait until the end of the day to fill our quotas with students who did not make the cut for other programs.
Year after year, I found that if a student wrote a good essay about why he or she wanted to go to flute camp but did not get in, that student would do a fine job as a member of our archaeology team. In fact, out of all the information students had to submit in their applications – transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation – the single best predictor of success was the quality of the student’s essay, no matter what the topic.
Because the ability to write well requires an array of skills that are useful in so many realms, I applaud any and all efforts to incorporate as much writing as possible into the academic lives of students at all levels.
PARKER POTTER
Contoocook