This study documented the writing practices of students in a Mexican elementary school and identified participants' attitudes toward different forms of writing. Data included observations in two classrooms as well as interviews with six case-study children and their parents. Results revealed copious writing in the school including dictations, copying, and simple texts. The teachers seldom integrated home or community texts into classroom instruction. Participants indicated that writing was a "skill" to be learned and practiced exclusively at school. Shared, ideologically motivated views of "legitimate" writing were important factors in the invisibility of other forms of writing. The study concludes with recommendations for structuring writing instruction to better meet the needs of Mexican-origin students as well as ideas for future research.