“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good” – John Steinbeck
Last month, a student of mine wrote a four-part love story starring two capybaras. It was silly, creative, and wonderful—and it never would’ve happened if I’d graded it.
That’s why I’ve started carving out time in class for something I believe every student needs: freewriting.
Freewriting is simple. It’s just writing with no rules, no expectations, and – most importantly – no grades. In a world where kids are often ranked, tested, and pushed to perform, they also need space to explore and to just write.
I’ve noticed how obsessed many of my students are with being perfect. I’ve seen kids write a whole sentence or paragraph and then erase the whole thing. Not because it was wrong, but simply to make it look nicer. When I ask students to draw a rectangle around a vocabulary word, half the class will pull out a ruler instead of simply sketching it freehand.
I don’t blame them. All too often, kids are told by adults in their lives that they need to be perfect in everything they do.
But since when did kids need to be perfect?
Real life isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up. Trying your best. Figuring things out as you go. Learning from mistakes.
Unless you’re a pilot or a surgeon, your job probably doesn’t demand perfection. It demands skill, effort, and the ability to adapt. “Being perfect” isn’t a life skill, so why do we act like it’s a requirement in school?
Even some of the best authors of all time agree:
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” – Jodi Picoult
“The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemingway
“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.” – Ray Bradbury
“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” – Anne Lamott
This is the idea behind freewriting. It gives students a chance to show up to the page without fear or judgment. They can just start writing and worry about how good it is later.
Sometimes I give them a fun prompt, but most times, I just say, “Write whatever you want.” What they come up with is incredible.
In a short amount of time, students produce:
- Creative comic strips
- Candid rants – (even more surprising coming from some of my quietest students!)
- An advertisement for one of our stories we read in class
- Riddles and brain twisters to share with the class
- Original love stories
- Outlandish tales of classmates becoming president and the ensuing chaos
It’s pure, unfiltered creativity, and the best part is that it’s theirs. No AI. No shortcuts. Just their own ideas, flowing straight from their minds to the page. Every time we freewrite in class, without fail, at least a few kids come up to me to show me what they wrote. They’re excited to write, and excited to show it off. That kind of creative output is gold.
I don’t correct their spelling or grammar—that’s not the point. The point is to create, to express yourself freely. Too often in school, students are evaluated to the point of exhaustion. They stop taking creative risks and instead stick to what they think the teacher wants, staying in that safe lane indefinitely. Once that mindset takes hold, it’s hard to bring creativity back.
As writer Peter Elbow explains, “If we evaluate everything students write, they tend to remain tangled up in the assumption that their whole job in school is to give teachers ‘what they want,’” (Elbow, 1993, p. 187).
Freewriting flips this dynamic. It encourages students to play with language without the pressure of being judged.
When you don’t feel the pressure is on, you can take more risks, simply try your best, and not worry about the results. Because, let’s be honest, if you found yourself in London and had to speak English to get by, no one’s going to grade your grammar. It’s not like people won’t understand you if you make a grammatical error. All that matters is: can you get your message across?
That’s the essence of using language to communicate. That’s the real goal. Freewriting gives kids the space to practice without any pressure. This pours over into their normal writing as well. It helps students simply get started, and not freeze up in an attempt to be perfect.
Of course, most of our writing classes at Englist focus on refining skills—crafting well-structured paragraphs, revising thoughtfully, and producing polished essays. Our students are evaluated a lot, even at Englist.
However, freewriting serves a different purpose. It’s a creative sandbox where students can play with language, experiment with ideas, and discover their unique voices.
So, give kids the chance to relax in their writing. Drop the checklist. Ditch the red pen. Just a blank page, a few quiet minutes, and the freedom to create. That’s where the magic begins.
– Mr. Lyon