In “Grammar in the Writing Center,” Glover and Stay challenge the common understanding of grammar’s role in an educational setting. They assert that while mastering certain grammatical forms is essential for “providing students and teachers with a common vocabulary for analysis” (130), the formal instruction of grammar can potentially do more harm than good for the growth and development of a student’s writing. What interested me most about Glover and Stay’s argument was the notion that grammar is not simply an index of rules and guidelines, but rather a style of thought. Grammar is important because it gives students a template (as Graff and Birkensten might say) to clearly present complex ideas and opinions.

While parallel sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and proper punctuation are important components of a well-written argument, it is important to remember their function. First and foremost, our rules of grammar exist to allow us to present our ideas clearly and efficiently. Readers and reviewers should be more focused on the writer’s ideas than their style of presentation. However, if writers cannot demonstrate a certain degree of grammatical proficiency, their arguments will not only be more difficult to read, but also inevitably less profound. Even if a writer has a unique and intelligent perspective, he or she will likely be unable to present it without mastering more complex grammatical formulas. Thus, Glover and Stay are correct when they describe grammar as a “tool for empowerment” (132).

However, as our spoken language diverges from grammatically correct English, the author’s dismay that students see grammar as “merely a rite of passage to the world of the educated” (132) seems increasingly justified. Indeed, many students see grammar as a limitation. Because they don’t understand more complex grammatical guidelines, they limit themselves from expressing their more complex thoughts in different contexts. When students ask their peers to look over their work, they more interested in correcting misplaced commas than making changes to their argument. As Glover and Stay suggest, they worry more about the “correctness” of their language than what their language actually says (132).

Glover and Stay argue that writing centers are uniquely capable of teaching “grammar of discovery” (132). In other words, writing centers empower to “allow learning to occur contextually within a framework of personal, moral, and political growth” (132).Certainly, writing centers are particularly effective at helping students structure their ideas within a grammatically correct, academic context. However, in order for us to teach this “grammar of discovery” (132), we must give ideas priority. We might fix every grammatical error in a student’s work and still leave them with a weak paper. Grammar is only a priority insofar as it enables the sort of critical thinking necessary for a successful argument. If we focus on the students’ ideas and identify better ways they might use their voice to make an argument, then the major grammatical errors will fix themselves. We can save the blue ink for smaller missteps.