When teaching writing, there are a few issues that come up over and over and over again. I have a short list of those to address today.

1. Spellcheck and grammar check are not always right. Too many of today’s students look for the red or green squiggly lines under what they write, and without even looking at the suggestion, they click for the change to be made. First, not every word or name is in the Word dictionary. Just because it doesn’t recognize what you’ve used doesn’t mean it’s spelled incorrectly. Before hitting the button to allow the correction, check the spelling yourself. If you’ve made a mistake, fix it. If you have not, leave it alone, and if you want, you can add the word to your dictionary on Word. Second, the grammar check doesn’t always realize what you’re doing. There are instances when a fragment is OK, and you should recognize that even if grammar check does not. Also, sometimes grammar check will tell you there is a fragment, but after you check the sentence yourself, you will find it is not. Just don’t take those red and green squiggly lines as the gospel. Double check them yourself and make only the changes that are necessary.

2. Read your final draft out loud. This may sound silly, but often, you know what “sounds” right. After you have silently read and reread your paper a number of times, you read it like you know it’s supposed to be, rather than how it is. As a result, reading the paper aloud allows you to catch errors you might otherwise overlook. Don’t worry about how strange those around you might think you are. You’ll come off as more intelligent if you catch the mistake this way and fix it before turning in your paper.

3. If you’re unsure about documenting your sources, ask your teacher before the paper is due. One thing we teachers really hate is when a student waits until the last minute right before something is due to let us know they are having a problem. It might be a legitimate problem, but when students wait until the paper is due, it comes across as an excuse to buy more time. There are very few circumstances when a problem will appear right at the exact time the paper is due, which means most of the time, the student is aware of the problem before the due date. If the students will let us know about their problem as soon as they realize they have the problem, we are much more understanding, willing, and able to help resolve the problem, and we can usually do so in a way that will allow the student to still meet the deadline. We are not mind readers, and we would like to give the student the benefit of the doubt. That’s a lot easier to do when the student lets us know about problems as soon as they arise.

I could probably write a book about all the issues that come up when teaching writing, and maybe one day I will, but for now, students, please consider these three things when preparing your essays. If you do, you’ll be amazed at how quickly those writing grades will start improving.