Since the beginning of time, students have struggled with writing essays…”

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Actually, let me stop you. I am a college English
instructor, and this is probably the most common first-sentence I get from students in their essays
to me. A variation of that is, “Throughout history…” but it is all in an attempt to fit their
introductions into a formula that is (I think) supposed to convey the general importance of their
topic. A kind of triangle (start with the general and work your way to your specific topic) that
helps, well, bore the reader and create a general poor impression of the writer because, really, no
students haven’t been struggling with writing essays since the beginning of time.
Slate columnist and college recently caused a major firestorm by suggesting that we stop
assigning the essay to college students. She pointed out that for much of the history of education,
examinations were done orally, and many other ways of communicating knowledge were taught
and celebrated. The Greeks and Romans didn’t write essays, they produced dialogues, treatises,
lectures, plays, epics. They communicated knowledge all the same.

But students, despite the K-12 system’s best efforts, come into my classes resenting
having to write and at a loss as to how to communicate, collaborate, or research in
any sort of formal way. What has gone wrong?
My students come to my class and tell me that they can’t write, that they aren’t good writers, or
that they hate writing. Writing and communicating clearly (as well as organization,
collaboration, and