Trinity Christian School

How to write a Schmidtberger paper

There comes a time in every students’ life where a teacher’s style directly affects
them. Writing and the use of language is such a case. Trinity requires all
students to write in the MLA writing format. Truth be told in college the MLA
style is only used by English and other select fields of study. (In fact history and
religion utilize the Chicago/Turabian methods; psychology, sociology, and other
scientific fields require the APA. My wife, who is working on a masters in online
education, must write in accordance with the APA.) Your teacher, Mr.
Schmidtberger, had the privilege of writing college papers in all of the
aforementioned formats. But more importantly than format usage and design is
the use of language in anyone’s writing.

In any good paper there are three central parts: introduction, body, and a
conclusion. And in every part there is a certain expectation of what should be in
it.
• The introduction
• Your thesis - every paper assignment I give you will be one of the
following: creative, research, or argumentative. With each assignment
there is a certain amount of overlap in purpose. You are seeking to
prove something. To do this you need a thesis statement- a sentence (or
two) that identifies your paper’s purpose and methodology. (In other
words what you are writing about and how you are going to prove it.)
This is what the entire introduction is about; feel free to use the whole
paragraph to set the stage for the reader.
• The body
• Welcome to the meat of the paper. In the introduction you outline the
paper’s skeleton - the form it is going to take. Now you get to color in
the details.
• Remember this. Every word, every sentence, and every punctuation
mark is there for one reason and one reason only- to prove your thesis.
If you can say something twenty words long in six, then do it in six.
• Apply this to the “body” component of your essay. Every paragraph
must prove your thesis one step further. Within each paragraph you
deal with that one step by clarifying any false ideas about it. You must
explain it to me. (You can see how writing an outline helps writing
papers.)
• The conclusion
• This is your final stop where you reiterate everything you have said in a
new way. Recapitulate your thesis statement and show all the evidence
for it. By the time I read the last word on your paper I must think to
myself “I am convinced by this for these reasons.”

Schmidtberger Paper Writing 101 | Fall 2009 | Trinity Christian School

The following is a set of rules for a “Schmidtberger” paper. And it is by no means
exhaustive, just a starter on your journey of writing.
• Language is a beautiful thing. Learn how to use it well and draw your
reader into your story. Everybody’s least favorite ‘idea’ of language is
mechanics and grammar. But like renowned author CS Lewis discovered
and used well, the use of language done properly sucks the reader into your
thoughts.
• Do not ask questions in your papers. It is bad writing in
argumentative essays. Think of the purpose of a question: it is to get to
the truth of a matter and reveals uncertainty in the one asking.
Question asking has a time and place in writing, but it is not for the
“Schmidtberger” essay.
• Do not generalize with all, many, everybody, etc. I doubt that everyone
who has ever lived saw a red car.
• Cite, cite, and cite it again. Better be safe than sorry. I want to know
where you got an idea from- even if it is your classroom notes. Learn
how to cite everything (again this is MLA style). But at the same time I
want your thoughts and not some random author’s.
• Do not use passive voice. This is not tolerated at the collegiate or
graduate level. For example every single passive voice usage in my
wife’s program results in -10% from her final grade. (At that rate you
only need 5 uses to earn an F.) This is tricky, for in our daily
conversation many utilize passive voice as their primary mode of verbs.
Do not do it, even though that is how you talk.
• The use of passive voice always indicates there is a better, stronger
way of conveying something.
• Proof read. Enough said. (Yes, that is a fragment.) I don’t tolerate
careless mistakes. Demonstrate you care about your work and my
opinion by editing and reviewing your essay.
• Watch for run-ons, fragments, comma usage and other forms of
punctuation (. , ! ; : ” ” -). Learn when to use each and do it well.
• Use proper spellings
• Unless specifically commanded by your teacher, you do not use first
person on any occasion (I, you, we, us, they, etc.)
• Do not think, presume, or believe that I can read your mind. It is an
easy mistake, but you need to tell the reader what you are thinking and
the logic of your argument.
• Finally Do NOT trust anything you find on the internet. While wikis,
blogs, and other forms of social media are invaluable you cannot
trust the content. Trust me I am a HUGE fan of Wikipedia, even
more so of Theopedia, but it is not authoritative as anyone can edit
the content (even a registered first grader).

The following are some thoughts I wrote while grading the church history finals
from last spring that reflect my own journey as I struggled to learn how to write.

Schmidtberger Paper Writing 101 | Fall 2009 | Trinity Christian School

I hope it helps you understand the perspective I have and where I am coming
from.

I am struck at the writing.  Jennifer, my wife, reminded me the other night

to lower my expectations from college down to high school.  That I did but
not without some mental fuss.

When I went to college I found myself inadequately prepared for college

level writing.  I discovered a whole new world that I never heard of before-
passive voice, solid argumentation, and historical data.  One of my friends,
Jonathan Mahtani (a Trinity grad too), taught me how to form a paper,
flow paragraph to paragraph, by tying all my thoughts together.  My wife, a
ruthless editor, shared with me a textbook she had and read, On Writing
Well; the author’s thesis in essence was that every utilized word fulfills the
purpose of supporting one’s idea and argument.

Two more things happened my juniors year: the professors Dr. Mark
Graham and Dr. Iain Duguid.  Both men are skilled writers and know how
to construct a solid, coherent argument.  My papers found obliteration and
destruction at the hands of Mark Graham; his keen eye identified the holes
and errors in my use of historical data.  Iain, who sought solid argument,
favored a concise one at that.  He taught me what my sister’s basketball
coach taught them, Coach Moose said, with respect to dunking, that a layup
is just as important.  2 points is 2 points.  Dr. Duguid brought this to bear
by saying that if you can say it in 10 words instead of 100 use the 10 words.  
Succinctness does not confuse the reader, instead it prompts the reader to
ask for more.

Schmidtberger Paper Writing 101 | Fall 2009 | Trinity Christian School