Read,Write, and Stay Human!

Writing: The Academic’s Tool for Success

Based on my experiences as a former educator (first K-12 public schools; later, university level), I have witnessed and experienced the effects of marginalized writing skills instruction among students at all educational levels. Over time, I have come to believe that the de-emphasis on skillful, formal writing practices and other so-called “soft skills,” along with the removal of arts and humanities programs in many of the nation’s public school systems, speaks to the 21st century model of neoliberal education. The neoliberal agenda is grounded in a global marketplace ideology of production, consumption, and competition, the implementation of which requires and promotes technological expertise. As such, 21st century educational policies and practices have increasingly prioritized standardization of curriculum and prescriptive teaching practices, all aimed at molding students into compliant producers and consumers in this globally connected world. To ensure the success of the neoliberal agenda, the teaching and learning process is integrated with an assembly line of standardized, computer-based testing formats. Thus, the standardized K-12 curriculum and its related testing instruments are heavily weighted toward empirically measurable disciplines (e.g., STEM) and away from the more abstract, interpretive disciplines within the humanities. Ultimately, within the American public school system, students are primarily evaluated according to their test scores, and teachers are held accountable for their students’ “performances.” 

*Question > Are clear and competent writing skills no longer necessary in this age of technology? Moreover, why should students learn how to write knowledgeably and skillfully when typing and texting can suffice? We might even look back to the decision to eliminate cursive writing instruction from the required Common Core Standards of 2010, as an indicator of the devaluation of writing as a necessary skill. The debate about cursive writing continues. Take a look at the following 2022 article from neaToday, “The Great Cursive Writing Debate.”


What is my overarching point specific to academic writing and the work of professional editors? It is this: Today, a large proportion of undergraduate and graduate students (with numerous exceptions, of course) seem to lack a foundation in academic writing skills that would have been expected of previous generations of university students. It is not their fault. As previously stated,  the educational agenda of the nation’s public schools has been grounded in standardization and technicization over the past many decades. Essentially, students are experiencing human education as job prep/training for employment in the 21st century technology-driven workforce.


As a philosophy of education scholar, I believe that writing skills are essential to human development—for balanced, well-rounded intellectual growth; for nurturing and sustaining skills essential to both personal and professional communications and interactions; and for the advancement and preservation of the human condition. From a philosophical perspective, I hold to the belief that we must retain and strengthen our uniquely human capacities in this age of extreme mechanization and burgeoning artificial intelligence. I don’t know about you, but I have no wish to forego my uniquely existential birthright as an independently thinking individual. Nor will I delimit or compromise my personal agency and pursuit of excellence in favor of technological expedience! I have no desire or need for machines, robots, and  gadgets to do my thinking and writing for me!

How do you feel about this topic? Do you value writing as a unique and necessary human skill? Do you, in fact, see yourself as a writer?

In her book, Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing, Patricia Goodson (2013) maintains that writing is the key tool behind academic success (p. 16). Further, Goodson (2013) makes a strong assertion regarding one’s identity as a writer.

I want them [graduate students] to remember if they happen to learn nothing else in my classes or workshops: They are writers. They write for a living. Every dimension of their future success as academics—grades, promotions, presentations to professional groups, funding for research projects—will depend on how well (and, yes, how much) they write. Aside from trade book authors, no other professional group depends so strongly on writing for its survival. Academics (here, I’m thinking of faculty, students, research staff, and even administrators) are professional writers, whether they identify themselves as such or not, whether they like it or not. (p. 16)

I will take Goodson’s stance a step further; that is, beyond the topic of writing as a primary academic tool for success. Expanding on that premise, I believe that thoughtful and coherent writing skills match up with deep reading practices (actual print books) and the development of critical/creative/philosophical thinking skills—all distinctly human skills and capacities that can only be strengthened through ongoing and diligent practice. If we diminish, ignore, or negate the value of this human capacity, what will become of scholarship over time?

Thankfully, the need for strong academic writing skills is still necessary in higher education. While genuinely competent writing skills may seem inherently natural to some individuals, the opposite may seem to be the case for others. *It is important to understand that weak or less than stellar writing skills are not an indication of intelligence; to reiterate, weak writing skills suggest that the individual's educational experience has not included an emphasis on the use of language and the "art" and process of formal writing.

As an academic editor, I have chosen to do the work of helping others develop these skills as well as improve and refine their written products. I believe that one’s writing skills can be developed through expert guidance (me) and practice (you) that helps nurture not only your skills, but also your identity as a writer!