Can your skill be improved with limitation?

I think everyone who is posting journals to Lang8 knows that writing is one of effective ways to improve his/her language skills.

That would be the case with school children who are learning their mother language.

My daughter had diary homework on weekends through last year.
Earlier in the year, she had a hard time constructing the sentences. But gradually she had made progress and became accustomed to write productive sentences and really enjoyed writing diaries.
I expected that her homeroom teacher would give her positive or encouraging comments on her diaries. But astonishingly, she said that her teacher told her “Don’t write doodling diaries. Write within only one page!” I couldn’t understand what he meant. She used a notebook for it which has 120 cells a page that was designated for all the students. One cell is for one letter. 120-cell is too short for 3rd grade students. I would ask, “Is there any reason to limit letters to students who are progressing their language skills? ”

After being told so, she lost her enthusiasm to writing. “What do I write in only 120-cell? ” she muttered.

I wondered that he might bother reading long diaries of many students and he reads their diaries honestly? If so, I could say that he isn’t qualified as an elementary school teacher. Teachers supposed to give students circumstances that they can extend their potential.

She wrote short diaries against her will until the end of 3rd grade year, saying that if she writes long ones, her teacher will call and admonish her. How deplorable!

Now, she is in the 4th grade and fortunately her homeroom teacher is changed to a nice teacher.

Today he came to my house, and said clearly “Write your diary as much as you like.”
I’m so relieved that he said so.

*For your information, in Japan, we have “Katei-houmon” or visiting every student’s home by homeroom teacher at the beginning of school year at elementary school. We, parents can talk with the homeroom teacher in person about private things that parents want the teacher to know about their children.

I believe that the sky is the limit for children.