Inspire Students to Explore Writing Careers
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On a daily basis, educators fill the minds of their students with tons of information, strategies, moral lessons, and practices that have worked for generations. Teachers have also quickly adapted to a changing technological landscape, which has generally enhanced their classrooms. In addition to teaching young people to embrace the technological advances, why not encourage students to explore the writing field, too? Art and literature are just as important as math, science, and engineering. In some cultures, poets and writers were just as important as farmers, hunters, and warriors. Poets and writers were the historians. They were responsible for passing on the traditions, beliefs, and stories of their people. Technological advances are rapidly changing the economic landscapes of the world, but writing has evolved just as fast. Writing has really kept pace with the changes and advances. Teachers and educators should keep in mind that many students may venture into creative and professional writing careers. Teachers should also encourage students to take advantage of the technological trends that use writing as a core discipline.
One of my favorite resources, as a teaching artist, is the official website for Poets and Writers Magazine, which is www.pw.org. Under the tab Tools for Writers, not only can writers find unique ways to foster creativity, but teachers can find great writing prompts and creative writing exercises to stimulate the growth of their students. Some writing prompts may require a little revising to make suitable for the classroom environments, but the prompts are invaluable tools to get students excited about possible writing careers.
Yes, the landscapes of professional writing and creative writing have changed. Although writers make solid careers as journalists, authors, screenwriters, teachers, publishers, public speakers, editors, proofreaders, and much more. Why not encourage students to explore these fields? The odds of making millions of dollars from writing are very slim, but shouldn’t teachers focus on exposing their students to different types of career fields? According to http://education-portal.com/writer_colleges.html, thousands of students each year enroll at colleges and universities with strong writing programs. Success isn’t guaranteed to anybody, but students will ultimately decide for themselves which career fields are right for them. Writing maybe the perfect career field for some students.
Many times educators may rule out writing careers because there’s a harder road to travel, especially if one wants to be successful. If educators look at the trends, especially the technological trends, educators would see how easily it is for writers to achieve moderate, mainstream success. There are just too many tools in the world, and they’re right at the fingertips of young, aspiring writers. Educators should fuel their English and Language Arts classes with the mechanics of writing, and they should also show students why writing matters! They should show them how they can apply their writing skills in the real world.
Choosing to be a professional writer may have challenges, but writing has evolved to the point where it’s possible to have a rewarding career. As educators, we should strive to show our students that the importance of the written word can be used for not only effective communication, but it can also be used for sustaining livelihoods.
