By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

PHS Holiday Dress-up Day fell on the National Council of Teachers of English National Day on Writing. As students arrived in their holiday wear spanning everything from Christmas to Halloween, they read the “Happy National Day on Writing” sign projected on the screen.

“Look,” one student said. “Mrs. Nolen is celebrating her favorite holiday.”

“Actually,” I said, “the National Day on Writing is tomorrow. This is National Day on Writing Eve. The National Council of Teachers of English has the actual day on a Saturday so that we can celebrate writing all day!”

Sharing media and history of the National Day of Writing led us to NCTE’s “#Why I Write Webpage,” an explanation of the “Why I Write” prompt, and the assignment to write a paragraph about the intrinsic reasons that students choose to write.

Students’ reasons for writing were soon leaping onto pages with all of the students eager to respond to this time-honored introspection of personal reasons for choosing writing. In the Digital Age, writing has become even more essential as the vast majority of our communication emerges as writing. With texts replacing many phone calls and most podcasts and videos beginning as scripts, students appreciate writing well as a necessary tool for success.

“I write because I have creative ideas—too many to keep in my head,” said Sean Erwin. Erwin is always outside of the box offering intriguing candor.

“When I write, my pen does the talking for me,” Luis Sanchez-Galvan said. A young man of few spoken words, Sanchez-Galvan speaks his truth straightforwardly on the page.

“I have a lot to say and a loud mind as an introvert,” said Kate Godfrey. An expert on the Myers Briggs Personality Types, Godfrey, an avowed INFJ, has the entire class investigating their own personality types.

“There are no interruptions when you’re writing,” said Tambrianna Smith. Kind and considerate, Smith is accommodating when others enter the conversation. Writing allows her an outlet without interruption.

Writing empowers students to master the art of communication, share their ideas and sharpen their competitive writing skills.