Taken from the book "The Language of Primary School Children," this essay is an example of the dialogue among teachers in England about language and writing. The essay gives priority to the discussion of actual material produced in primary schools and highlights the most promising ways in which language was seen to play a vital part in learning. The material, dating from the late 1960s and gathered as part of the Schools Council Project on Language Development in the Primary School, is placed within a framework of controversial themes and theoretical issues reflecting teacher militancy. The essay treats teachers at work, different kinds of writing, and the question of audience and the individual voice, and presents samples of students' writing to illustrate the varieties of writing and to provide contexts for the discussion. (JD)