Writing Is Like Lemons

by Amy Shultz

You might just think writing is like broccoli. Actually, if you think about it, writing is just like lemons. It may make you pucker to think about it, but as you add enough of the right ingredients, writing is very refreshing. Just as Vitamin sC is crucial for good health, writing is crucial for a good life. It’s time for parents and teachers to work together to add writing to our students’ diets.

Lemons come in very handy in realizing your future aspirations. My annual lemonade stand put me through college. With the new SAT test, you’ll need writing skills to get into college. The writing section is one third of the total score and includes a 25-minute essay that is not solely graded on grammar, but also on ideas and critical thinking, supporting evidence, organization, focus, use of language, and sentence structure. A sour reminder of reality.

Have you ever made lemonade? Add the lemon juice, water, and sugar. Taste. Add a lot more sugar. Taste. Add more water. Taste. Add more lemon juice. Taste. Add more sugar…it’s quite a process. As I tasted and tested my lemonade, I understood what needed to come next. The National Commission on Writing suggests that, “Writing is not simply a way for students to demonstrate what they know. It is a way to help them understand what they know. At its best, writing is learning.” The Commission suggests that writing be used across the curriculum as a way for students to internalize what they are learning at the moment.

My grandmother taught me about the many practical uses of lemons. Cut a lemon in half, add salt and use it to clean a copper-bottomed pot. Lemon juice clears up acne. Sprinkle juice of one lemon over fruit salad to prevent browning. I could go on. Writing is necessary to succeed at basic life tasks or to perform well in your career of choice. From shopping lists, love letters, thank you notes, and emails, to performance reports, resumes, and grant proposals, writing is an essential form of communication.

Sucking lemons makes me cry. Many therapists suggest journaling as a way to process reactions to life. Writing is therapeutic for people of all ages to express emotions that may be hard to understand or speak about.

Writing is good for us. So, everyone, let’s quit making sour faces about writing. Pucker up and try it.

Amy Shultz

Amy Shultz, former fourth grade teacher, works as a facilitator for the Buddy Teaching and Learning Center. She also writes for The Write Connection newsletter and The Writing Site, under the Buddy System Project.

This featured article appeared in Volume 1, Number 1 issue of the Write Connections quarterly newsletter. View other archived newsletters , a topical organization of all newsletters, or sign-up to receive notification when the next newsletters are ready to download.