It seems very metaphorical, so I might have not gotten the correct meaning either, however I believe it's talking about people making sentences more complex for

It seems very metaphorical, so I might have not gotten the correct meaning either, however I believe it's talking about people making sentences more complex for no reason. English teachers consider writing to be something that needs to flow and be emotive, but for the vast majority of tasks it should simply be an efficient way of conveying some piece of information. Basically, students are optimising their writing for teachers approval, which isn't useful for the vast majority of real life, like the example of asking for directions; "Will you show me the most effective way to the bus stop?" vs. "How do I get to the bus stop?"