Reading this paper on the Five Paragraph Essay, transported me back into 7th grade when I first learned about the concept. I remember how I went from writing creatively to all of a sudden having this one standardized way to write every essay. I do agree with many of the points made about how the essay format fails to address the core problems, but I also believe that many other subjects, not just english, have the same problems. They have standardized ways of teaching that don’t let students explore. The school system is looking for a way that is the shortest in order to get children out. Unfortunately, schools don’t have the time to invite a new system of teaching children. The five paragraph essay is just a way for people to fill in the blanks and it is very hard for people to explore. Even if you just have a a three paragraph essay, the format of the five paragraph essay is still the same. It can be very difficult to customize it, because again it is a standardize box meant to help students pass. Although the author speaks about the identities of the students must transcend grades, unfortunately you don’t pass in school by how creative you are, you pass based on your grades. This format has worked in passing students and sending them to the next class. Unfortunately, there is no other method that can do this. Hopefully in the future it will be, but it will take a long time to create one. In a school with hundreds of students, a standardized format is the best way.
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Thanks Xhesika. I appreciate the visual of a box. If a five paragraph is the box we write in, we can’t really know what the alternatives are until we create them, can we? That’s the whole purpose of being in a box. I also 100% agree with you, exploration is a key part of critical thinking, and if anything prevents it, it really has dire consequences for student success not just in school, but in life!