Using the tools we have

I was re-reading some of the blog articles and realized that one of the reasons blogging has began to catch my interest is because one is able to add their own style. I felt that in high school, student's writing was grounded by so many rules. Don't use fragments! Stay away from passive sentences! Always use the five paragraph format! With blogs, those rules are for the most part thrown out the window. By not having to worry so much about breaking the "commandments of writing" one is able to express themselves more freely. This is when great writing starts to appear. I use to hate the five paragraph format in high school. I am glad that I was taught it, but I resented being held down by it. I often think about how I would teach a middle school English class. They have to be taught the writing rules but how far would I enforce them? Or how would I go about enforcing it? As discussed in one of our classes, I would definitely require the kids to journal at least 15 minutes everyday but on the computer. I honestly feel that writing on paper holds back one's thought process. (Unless you are a horribly slow typer.) If we have the tools, why not use them?