What does writing mean to me?

When I think of writing I think of structured writing: essays, paragraphs, short answers, stories, poems, But very rarely do you think of free writing. Writing has always scared me. I always feared not being able to properly or rather effectively put the words from my head onto paper. I feared making mistakes, I feared not writing what I was supposed to write. Spelling, grammar, structure, these were all things I felt I had never learned properly. Therefore what does writing mean to me? Fear and anxiety. Ironically enough I chose languages, specifically English and Spanish to be my area of expertise in university. English being my teachable I knew I had to change my mindset about how I feel/felt about writing. I believe writing should be free and natural. It should be a form of empowerment, expression, and creativity. Students should feel confident in their writing without the worry of being criticized for getting conventions wrong or writing about the wrong subject matter. As a language teacher I believe it is ultimately important to have students recognize that any writing is good writing. Writing is a form of expression, a form of learning, not something to be afraid of. Writing should however have purpose and meaning. Writing should be a process of learning, communicating, teaching, expression, and exploring.