Ms. Miao’s Reflections on Composition Teaching (Part 1)

Autumn arrived overnight, but I still got up at 7 a.m. sharp to start work.

While grading compositions, I came across a piece written by a fourth-grade student.After finishing the corrections, I had some thoughts I’d like to share with parents who care about their children’s writing development.

For fourth graders, it’s not necessary to expect a flawless piece of writing.If we emphasize “perfection” too early, we skip over the most valuable part of learning — the child’s chance to observe, think, imagine, explore, grow, and create.

When under pressure, children will unconsciously mimic or even copy others’ writing.Copied compositions don’t train their overall thinking skills.No matter how polished such writing looks, the child is merely acting as a “transporter” of someone else’s words.That kind of ability is exactly what can be most easily replaced by AI in the future.

Of course, imitation or copying may still bring high scores in the lower grades.Even in the fifth or sixth grade, with some luck, students might score well on familiar test topics they’ve practiced before.However, this kind of learning does not build the foundation of critical and creative thinking that is essential for acquiring deeper knowledge later on.This is the part most easily overlooked by those with short-sighted views — once missed, time can’t be reversed.A single high test score is not the ultimate goal of learning.

Parents who are interested can also see through my feedback that in my composition lessons, children receive personalized guidance and precise feedback, which is where the true value of writing instruction lies.And yes — starting early matters‼️Ideally, children should begin around second grade. This helps them avoid detours, build confidence in writing early, and benefit other subjects and areas of life as well.

October 21, 2025