Need to develop writing skills
By: Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Once I read a quote that says in order to be an expert in writing, one has to read, read and re-read. This fact proved to be truly fitting when the 2025 Board Examinations are going on.
Some days ago, the English language papers of both twelfth and tenth classes were held on a single day. Both the papers were well-set. Apart from conceptual-based questions, the overall focus on writing skills has persuaded me to think how the creative writing is the hallmark of sustainable education.
I asked my students how they have fared in the overall portions of the papers. They answered in one voice that they do not have stronghold over the English language. They disappointedly told me that the language barriers haunt them day in and day out. I was nudged and decided to write a brief piece on this important skill.
As I have already written and mentioned it in my previous articles, writing error-free English is of utmost importance in the age of the AI. Nowadays, writing English efficiently and eloquently has become both easy as well as complicated that a student just like an adult is caught in the whirlpool of information boom, unable to write in his or her own words.
The main focus of my article is to let students study the different kind of stuff and summarize that in their own way. I mean to say that allowing students to get acquainted with the different genres of writing can prove handy in writing effectively.
However, the irony of fate is that the students are unable to complete their school syllabi during the allotted session. In this situation, it is impossible to expect from them to think out of the box solutions. This is where the new approach is needed the most.
As said earlier, let students read the newspapers on regular basis is a step towards the nice goal of writing sustainably. The hardcopy of newspaper is the best beginning that can be initiated in this regard. Allotting a day or two a week can build the momentum. Newspapers like the Hindu, the Indian Express, the Hindustan Times, etc., suffice in the long run.
The magazines like the Tell me Why, Frontline, the Caravan, India Today, Outlook, etc., are truly the stepping stones of writing in crisp and smartly manner. The organization of words and refraining from unnecessarily words is the quality of these newspapers and journals. Apart from these, they broaden the mental horizons and let the fresh air of creative writing remove the foul air of deadwood.
Moreover, creating a suitable environment for expressing oneself has the potential to uplift students in the right direction of creative writing. In the company of mature writers, the students may learn the art of expressing themselves. The intricacies of writing can only be learnt under the shadow of great writers.
The ardent writers have the requisite acumen to transform a naïve student into a perfectly-moulded writer. Their companionship is like a key which unlocks the closed doors of the minds of beginners.
Their vast knowledge permits students to dive into the bottomless sea of writing experiences and come out with something tangible and beautiful. The fragrance of the influential writers leaves a permanent mark in the lives of blooming students.
Holding the shivering hands of the students and guiding them carefully towards the goal of sensible writing is the characteristic feature of the natives of that environment, who radiate light in every direction to enlighten the path of others to carry on with this noble work.
In short, if we want students to write in their own words, we have to carry a heavy load of rejection and frustration. This path is littered with innumerable thorns. From motivating students to feel disappointed at their slow progress or sometimes no progress at all, we must have the nerves of steel. It is like keeping the flock of sheep together.
The sheep always disperse here and there. However, the shepherd, having sympathy for them, always brings them back and protects them from any kind of hurt. In the same vein, like shepherds, we must hold the hands of the growing students to persuade them to write in their own words. They need careful nurturing and they demand time for us.
Reading WB Yeats and Ted Hughes is not a cakewalk at all for a class 10 student. Reading stories like’ the Enemy’ and going through the sweet verses of John Keats need a strong willpower and optimistic bent of mind.
Paraphrasing Keats’ verses is like climbing the steep slope without rope and firm ground. However, slowly acquainting them with the masters of writing will have a visible effect on their overall psyche. We must put all our efforts in this noble work. There is no room for pessimism in this regard.
Let us pledge that we, at our individual levels, leave no stone unturned to persuade the students to write in their own words. In other words, let us vow to be the friends of students in this journey of innumerable barriers.
Let us pat their backs and soothe their immature nerves. Hoping against hope, I believe that in the future, we will be able to see a visible difference in the lives of students in case of writing effectively and eloquently.
(The author is a teacher and hails from Khushipora, Srinagar)
