Real Writing

High-school writing prompts often ask students to provide overly simplified responses to complicated issues but a person’s stance in the real world can rarely if ever be reduced to “agree or disagree.” Arguments are complex with more than two points of view and a range of evidence to consider; however writing classes don’t always embrace that complexity. Real Writing: Modernizing the Old School Essay contends that engaging fully with complex texts and difficult nuanced arguments helps students become better thinkers and writers more fully prepared for life both in and after high school.