Reply to Schools that excel in teaching writing, analysis and critical thinking

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm a writing tutor and have worked with students from many different schools, both public and private.  In general, I would agree that smaller class sizes give independent schools an advantage in teaching writing and critical thinking.  Teachers can also engage students in discussion and debate more easily, helping them develop fluency and confidence in oral communication.  My own children, whose temperaments and academic interests vary, were all well-prepared for college by their experiences in three very different independent schools.

With regard to sentence diagramming, while it's a great way to learn grammar, it's of limited value in learning how to write.  Writing is thinking; even if you can diagram a sentence, you can't write effectively unless you know how to conduct research, synthesize your findings, structure an argument and use voice with nuance and verve.  Sentence diagramming won't teach any of that.  Studying a foreign language can be another way for students to develop a better understanding of English grammar, and, of course, learning to speak another language has many other benefits as well.  In my experience, the best way to learn grammar is by osmosis.  Kids who read good writing will absorb grammar like sponges soak up water.                        [/quote]

Diagramming mother.  It's about understanding grammar and how to use language correctly.  It is not about good  critical writing, which is so much more as you point out, but proper usage of language does help clarity even then.  I also think the exercise of deconstructing a sentence and putting it back together visually is a first step that sets the stage for a student to be able to deconstruct texts to analyze them critically.  Yes, you can do that without knowing a thing about diagramming, but diagramming helps.  [/quote]

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