Writing provides many benefits

Writing is important for students. It can make thinking and creativity more expressive, and it is a tool that has been used by humans for thousands of years for their opinions and stories. The Founding Fathers used writing to outline important documents in the United States’s history, and writing is also protected in the First Amendment, along with the freedom of speech. 

Yet, many people don’t realize how important writing is.

Claire Mueller, an English teacher, said, “Writing fosters creativity, critical thinking and innovation in the same way discussion does. ‘Spewing’ all of your thoughts on paper before choosing the best thoughts in the writing process shows you who you are and what you think from your very narrow perspective, and then reading or hearing other original thoughts and perspectives broadens and expands yours. AI streamlines or norms our thinking, and bringing the same perspective to a conversation stops the discussion in its tracks. If everyone agrees, there’s nothing to challenge or discuss; that’s boring; that doesn’t make us think.”

She also added, “The greatest innovators and writers and artists challenged the norm; they took a risk in being proud of something that was different, even when sameness is/was valued. We will lose the confidence of great artists and writers and innovators when we continue to praise and place value on sameness or mediocrity. Therefore, it’s important that from an early age, kids are praised for writing crazy stories that don’t follow the norm, are curious about wild concepts and ask challenging questions. We can’t grow without change or being challenged, and writing your thoughts can make you discover the deepest parts of yourself.”

Writing is also important for history, as it can explore the lives of past historical leaders and other people through journals and letters. There are archives that preserve these writings, and they are used to present a bigger picture. 

Writing is also important for freedom of speech. In the United States everyone is allowed to state their opinions, and they are allowed to express disagreements. Even in the early days of the United States’s history, there were newspapers that attacked political figures like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, some of the most important founders in the nation’s history.

When researching genealogy, many people use documents like censuses and birth or death records, and this can show that writing has many benefits to everyone.