Paul GrahamVerified account

This is a great piece. I was re-reading it the other day. (I was collating viewpoints and examples on how writing helps you think.) My experience with formal education was different though. I learned a lot on writing and persuading from some inspiring teachers at school & college

Almost as if you are meant to break the rules once you understand them

Ironically, English teachers are often the most qualified in the school because the marketplace for writers is small

In other news, training wheels get in the way once you need to use a bike to actually get somewhere.

Some of mine were good. Most of mine turned me off learning.

It wasn't until my final English class my senior year of high school that I had a teacher that taught me to write in a way that a reasonable person would talk instead jamming things into a nonsense structure that makes no sense.

Having just read your meta-essay, wouldn't it be more appropriate to say that what you call "essay" and what they called "essay" in school are two different types of text with different aims?