Writing in Kindergarten

In my Kindergarten practicum placement my mentor teacher had her students striving for correct spelling and punctuation of words that they wrote.  It was interesting to me how these kids rose to the challenge and did really well with spelling and punctuation at such a young age.  I know that some teachers and schools focus more on the creative content of writing during Kindergarten which I think makes a lot of sense too.  I Love the idea of having students stretch to improve their creative thinking when asked to write about general topics.  But I also think holding them to a higher standard with punctuation and grammar can allow them to achieve more.  I was amazed at how well these 5 year olds were able to write.  I think if I wind up in a Kindergarten classroom I will look for a happy medium by looking at my students as individuals and holding each one to the highest standard that they can achieve.