Creative Writing—No More

By: Lily Ronney

As the years roll by, English teachers have been looking for a way to properly instruct their students to write essays. As students move from one class to the next, they learn a new type of writing from a new type of teacher. Teachers have found it difficult forcing the students to “unlearn” everything their previous teachers have taught, and then proceed to teach their technique of writing. As a solution to this problem, the English department at El Segundo High has begun to use Jane Schaffer’s Formula Essay. English teacher Nancy Cobb said “It’s a straightjacket, but it serves students well.” While she sympathizes with those who feel bound by the format, she stands behind it fully, and believes that it is something good to fall back on if a person is ever in need of a good way to write.

This formula has been forced upon students, greatly limiting their creative writing, and giving them little to no room to give the writing their own touch. “Its too conforming, and doesn’t give us freedom of speech,” sophomore Anthony Guy relates. With the formula, a body paragraph consists of: a grabber sentence (TS), concrete detail (CD), two sentences of commentary (CM), another concrete detail (CD), two more sentences of commentary (CM), and so on until the quota of the paragraph has been met, concluding, of course, with a “summing up” sentence that relates to the first sentence. Using this formula gives students very little chance to put any of their creativity into their writing. Students who are forced to write under so strict a method are less able to compose something in which they believe and of which they are proud. With this formula, students are made to form their ideas in such tiny perimeters, and use such strict sentence structure that it has become nearly impossible for them to write with any of their own style. Sophomore Tania Darnton says “The Jane Schaffer method restricts students’ writing style, and doesn’t allow students to develop their own unique style and way of writing.”

Another problem students have encountered with this format has been that it is much too simple; teaching and re-teaching the absolute basics that are fit for sixth graders who are just learning to write essays, not high school students who have had years of writing experience. For example, those who are just being introduced to the essay’s format are required to stick exactly to the form for body paragraphs, using eight and only eight sentences, starting the first “concrete detail” sentence with “for example,” the second with “in addition,” and both of the first “commentary” sentences with “this shows that…”. Such childish lessons are easily taken as an insult to a student’s writing skills, and those “learning” the format are continually forced to never stray from the restricted format. Sophomore and honor student Atreyi Bhattacharyya believes the essay is “too systematic for students, and gives no originality”. An insulted student who is required to write in a restricted format is very likely unable to write a good essay, or ever enjoy writing in the future. This essay format is especially trying for honors students, who are forced to adhere to the same standards.

This essay template is difficult for everyone subjected to it, and the English department should emphasize creative writing. Until that happens, a student at El Segundo High is suggested to learn to love it.