Every writing teacher that forced their students to sit down and take the time to “brainstorm” is running their class in the wrong way. Brainstorming is just a waste of time and energy because when everyone is “brainstorming” no one has the audacity to stand up and say someone’s idea is a crappy one. Everyone knows that some criticism is a good thing because the criticism helps you come up with better ideas or make their previous idea stronger, but brainstorming eliminates any kind of criticism. Plus, maybe some criticism could have turned some kids “C” quality paper into an “A” quality paper.
If teachers still feel the need to make all their students sit together and come up with ideas, then there need to be some changes to the process. First, get rid of the name “brainstorming.” The name itself is misleading, and every time a student hears the word, then there’s a chance they will hold back their criticism or ideas. Second, students need to have the freedom to voice their opinions and criticisms in positive ways. Students shouldn’t bash each other or become hurtful with their criticism, but they need to have the freedom and ability to say when they don’t like something, or think something needs to be changed. Lastly, the whole process needs to be fun. Students always do their best work when it is fun, and if teachers want the best papers to be written, then they need to make the beginning steps of the process more fun.
By: Carson Messenger
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