CHAPTER TWO - Written Expression

Abstract

This chapter discusses the importance of written expression. Written work certainly influences oral expression, and it may well lead to a greater appreciation of the writings of novelists and poets. To write even a list of groceries forces the housewife to become fully conscious of what was only a vague realization. However, as the natural form of communication is oral, time must be given in any lesson involving written communication to considering the circumstances in which the spoken word is inadequate. These circumstances can be real, as with articles intended for publication in the class magazine, or imagined, as with letters, and it is the work of the teacher to see that the reality is not betrayed and that the imagination is encouraged. The written word is essential for recording. A glimpse of a small boy jotting down car or train numbers reminds the teacher that if the written record in school lacks the vital quality, it is because something has been lost between the railway platform and the classroom. The value to the child of self-expression is generally admitted, and the satisfaction it affords should offer the prime motive for creative writing.