New unschooling parents need advice about writing!
Monica
Hi, we've just begun unschooling our 7-year-old daughter after two
years of public school. We've done a LOT of reading about
unschooling, but we're still struggling with a few things. Mostly,
we're worried about her writing. Her penmanship is pretty bad, and
she really hates to write. Or, I should say, she hates the act of
putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to dictate stories and
poems to us and have us write it for her!
I know we should just relax and trust that she'll write when she's
ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind. I worry that if
I leave it up to her, she'll won't write for years and she'll
probably have poor handwriting her whole life! We've really embraced
the unschooling philosophy in every other way, but writing is where
she was already a bit behind when she left public school. I've tried
requiring that she write in her journal every day, but that is met
with groans and I'm afraid I'm turning her off of writing for good.
We really need advice. Should we just relax and not worry if she
doesn't pick up a pencil all year? Should we try to place things in
her path that require writing but don't force her to choose those
things? What have you done? Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
thoughts would help--
Monica
years of public school. We've done a LOT of reading about
unschooling, but we're still struggling with a few things. Mostly,
we're worried about her writing. Her penmanship is pretty bad, and
she really hates to write. Or, I should say, she hates the act of
putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to dictate stories and
poems to us and have us write it for her!
I know we should just relax and trust that she'll write when she's
ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind. I worry that if
I leave it up to her, she'll won't write for years and she'll
probably have poor handwriting her whole life! We've really embraced
the unschooling philosophy in every other way, but writing is where
she was already a bit behind when she left public school. I've tried
requiring that she write in her journal every day, but that is met
with groans and I'm afraid I'm turning her off of writing for good.
We really need advice. Should we just relax and not worry if she
doesn't pick up a pencil all year? Should we try to place things in
her path that require writing but don't force her to choose those
things? What have you done? Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
thoughts would help--
Monica
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: GregMonica@...
Hi, we've just begun unschooling our 7-year-old daughter after two
years of public school. We've done a LOT of reading about
unschooling, but we're still struggling with a few things. Mostly,
we're worried about her writing. Her penmanship is pretty bad, and
she really hates to write. Or, I should say, she hates the act of
putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to dictate stories and
poems to us and have us write it for her!
-=-=-
Writewritewritewrite FOR her. Even *schools* have finally figured out
that dictation is the best way to get young stories out. Forcing her to
write her own stories may force her to quit altogether. Is that what
you want?
There are people who've been through 20 years of compulsory writing.
They STILL have lousy handwriting, yet they're extremely well-paid.
We call them doctors. <g>
Relax.
-=-=-=-
I know we should just relax and trust that she'll write when she's
ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind. I worry that if
I leave it up to her, she'll won't write for years and she'll
probably have poor handwriting her whole life!
-=-=-
She might. She might not write for years, but I'd rather my child be a
creative storyteller. <g>
She might have poor handwriting, but be the next great bestselling
author. I don't know anyone who uses pen or pencil any more. KEYBOARD
SKILLS! Now *that's* useful! <g>
-=-=-=-
We've really embraced
the unschooling philosophy in every other way, but writing is where
she was already a bit behind when she left public school. I've tried
requiring that she write in her journal every day, but that is met
with groans and I'm afraid I'm turning her off of writing for good.
-=-==-
You're answering your own question!
You could very well turn her off. Back off.
-=-=-=-
We really need advice. Should we just relax and not worry if she
doesn't pick up a pencil all year?
-=-=-
Tell you what. Why don't you forbid the use of pens or pencils for one
year? <bwg> Wanna guess what'll happen? <G>
You're pushing too hard!
-=-=-=-
Should we try to place things in her path that require writing but
don't force her to choose those
things?
-=-=-=-
No. Make sure she has access to all sorts of beautiful, scented
papers. Nice calligraphy pens, gel pens, flashy markers. Just have them
available---to use...or NOT! Maybe *you* could start writing friends
snail mail letters. Let her see you doing something beautiful. Go take
a calligraphy class. For YOU, not her.
-=-=-=-=-
What have you done?
-=-=-=-
What I wrote above. Nice papers, cards, etc. Nice pens and colored
pencils. Sam's had 100 gel pens in every color for $20 last Christmas.
Cool! I got one for us and gave another to a friend of Duncan's. She
was thrilled.
We make our own cards for birthdays and such. We write thank you
notes. We have LOTS of beautiful pens to play with---nothing is
off-limits.
-=-=-=-=-
Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
thoughts would help--
-=-=-=-=-
Mine have always liked to write. But we just got a laptop, so Duncan
(10) and I can be online at the same time in the same room. He's been
online all day googling and taking "tests" (what kind of animal/anime
character/tree/demon/fish are you? <g>. I've been spelling words all
day. He's typing away. Google helps because it prompts if you've
misspelled. <g> Handy little gadget! <G>
But it happens when it happens. I could have been forcing him to be ON
the computer, working on his keyboard skills; but this way, *he* is in
charge of when and how and why. Hugely empowering! Huge!
She may decide to write when she's nine or ten, but she may decide to
write in two weeks. Or when she's 12. Her handwriting will be beautiful
if--- and only if!---she wants it to be. Only if *she* cares enough and
chooses to. Doesn't matter what *you* want!
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
From: GregMonica@...
Hi, we've just begun unschooling our 7-year-old daughter after two
years of public school. We've done a LOT of reading about
unschooling, but we're still struggling with a few things. Mostly,
we're worried about her writing. Her penmanship is pretty bad, and
she really hates to write. Or, I should say, she hates the act of
putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to dictate stories and
poems to us and have us write it for her!
-=-=-
Writewritewritewrite FOR her. Even *schools* have finally figured out
that dictation is the best way to get young stories out. Forcing her to
write her own stories may force her to quit altogether. Is that what
you want?
There are people who've been through 20 years of compulsory writing.
They STILL have lousy handwriting, yet they're extremely well-paid.
We call them doctors. <g>
Relax.
-=-=-=-
I know we should just relax and trust that she'll write when she's
ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind. I worry that if
I leave it up to her, she'll won't write for years and she'll
probably have poor handwriting her whole life!
-=-=-
She might. She might not write for years, but I'd rather my child be a
creative storyteller. <g>
She might have poor handwriting, but be the next great bestselling
author. I don't know anyone who uses pen or pencil any more. KEYBOARD
SKILLS! Now *that's* useful! <g>
-=-=-=-
We've really embraced
the unschooling philosophy in every other way, but writing is where
she was already a bit behind when she left public school. I've tried
requiring that she write in her journal every day, but that is met
with groans and I'm afraid I'm turning her off of writing for good.
-=-==-
You're answering your own question!
You could very well turn her off. Back off.
-=-=-=-
We really need advice. Should we just relax and not worry if she
doesn't pick up a pencil all year?
-=-=-
Tell you what. Why don't you forbid the use of pens or pencils for one
year? <bwg> Wanna guess what'll happen? <G>
You're pushing too hard!
-=-=-=-
Should we try to place things in her path that require writing but
don't force her to choose those
things?
-=-=-=-
No. Make sure she has access to all sorts of beautiful, scented
papers. Nice calligraphy pens, gel pens, flashy markers. Just have them
available---to use...or NOT! Maybe *you* could start writing friends
snail mail letters. Let her see you doing something beautiful. Go take
a calligraphy class. For YOU, not her.
-=-=-=-=-
What have you done?
-=-=-=-
What I wrote above. Nice papers, cards, etc. Nice pens and colored
pencils. Sam's had 100 gel pens in every color for $20 last Christmas.
Cool! I got one for us and gave another to a friend of Duncan's. She
was thrilled.
We make our own cards for birthdays and such. We write thank you
notes. We have LOTS of beautiful pens to play with---nothing is
off-limits.
-=-=-=-=-
Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
thoughts would help--
-=-=-=-=-
Mine have always liked to write. But we just got a laptop, so Duncan
(10) and I can be online at the same time in the same room. He's been
online all day googling and taking "tests" (what kind of animal/anime
character/tree/demon/fish are you? <g>. I've been spelling words all
day. He's typing away. Google helps because it prompts if you've
misspelled. <g> Handy little gadget! <G>
But it happens when it happens. I could have been forcing him to be ON
the computer, working on his keyboard skills; but this way, *he* is in
charge of when and how and why. Hugely empowering! Huge!
She may decide to write when she's nine or ten, but she may decide to
write in two weeks. Or when she's 12. Her handwriting will be beautiful
if--- and only if!---she wants it to be. Only if *she* cares enough and
chooses to. Doesn't matter what *you* want!
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
Solé
Hello,
I'm new to the list, and I am a beginner as well. Even more than you
I think.
But my thought on your question is this: I think the key is to not
worry, even if she doesn't pick up the pen at all in her whole life
again. What will really "happen", if she has poor handwriting? Who
will really see her handwriting? What do you need handwriting for
anyway? I don't need it, only for my signature sometimes ;-) And in
20 years people will need it even less. Computers are and will be
everywhere. 80% of my friends and family members own a laptop (which
is transportable like paper and pen). I write blindly and almost as
fast as I'm thinking. When I try to write by hand, it's slow, my hand
hurts, I've gotten too used to typing ;-) Sometimes I needed hand
writing at university, but even there I started pulling out my laptop
and write directly, nicely and readable (later) into a word
document... And I remember soooo well, that when I was a child, I
*hated* it, that my thoughts were faster than I could write. I would
always forget what I wanted to say (write) next by the end of the
sentence!
My bf types so much on the computer, that he struggles with his
signature each time ;-) We even write the notes for shopping sometime
at the computer and print them out...
The essence of writing occurs in your head. The medium doesn't matter
so much. I have the feeling that she will stop being creative with
her own stories if she has to painfully write them down by hand.
So my suggestions are:
typing software for learning fast typing, ten fingers, blindly (they
are usually fun)
let her type everything into the computer
The only thing I can think of really is forms you have to fill out
for applying to something... hm, is her handwriting enough for that?
Maybe let her write the shopping lists (if she chooses to do it at
the computer she is very clever ;-)
oh, maybe try a calligraphy course or book or something.... like with
brushes and china ink and so on. Maybe she likes that (does she like
drawing and painting?)
And if I understood well the concept of unschooling, do it yourself.
Somewhere I read, some children never see their parents sleep
(because they go later to sleep and stand up earlier), so naturally
their children don't want to go to sleep. I think my daughter almost
never sees me hand writing, only at the computer. Why should she
bother doing it herself, if she only sees people typing?
Greetings
Johanna
-Germany
I'm new to the list, and I am a beginner as well. Even more than you
I think.
But my thought on your question is this: I think the key is to not
worry, even if she doesn't pick up the pen at all in her whole life
again. What will really "happen", if she has poor handwriting? Who
will really see her handwriting? What do you need handwriting for
anyway? I don't need it, only for my signature sometimes ;-) And in
20 years people will need it even less. Computers are and will be
everywhere. 80% of my friends and family members own a laptop (which
is transportable like paper and pen). I write blindly and almost as
fast as I'm thinking. When I try to write by hand, it's slow, my hand
hurts, I've gotten too used to typing ;-) Sometimes I needed hand
writing at university, but even there I started pulling out my laptop
and write directly, nicely and readable (later) into a word
document... And I remember soooo well, that when I was a child, I
*hated* it, that my thoughts were faster than I could write. I would
always forget what I wanted to say (write) next by the end of the
sentence!
My bf types so much on the computer, that he struggles with his
signature each time ;-) We even write the notes for shopping sometime
at the computer and print them out...
The essence of writing occurs in your head. The medium doesn't matter
so much. I have the feeling that she will stop being creative with
her own stories if she has to painfully write them down by hand.
So my suggestions are:
typing software for learning fast typing, ten fingers, blindly (they
are usually fun)
let her type everything into the computer
The only thing I can think of really is forms you have to fill out
for applying to something... hm, is her handwriting enough for that?
Maybe let her write the shopping lists (if she chooses to do it at
the computer she is very clever ;-)
oh, maybe try a calligraphy course or book or something.... like with
brushes and china ink and so on. Maybe she likes that (does she like
drawing and painting?)
And if I understood well the concept of unschooling, do it yourself.
Somewhere I read, some children never see their parents sleep
(because they go later to sleep and stand up earlier), so naturally
their children don't want to go to sleep. I think my daughter almost
never sees me hand writing, only at the computer. Why should she
bother doing it herself, if she only sees people typing?
Greetings
Johanna
-Germany
Schafer Vanessa
Hi,
Instead of having her write, why not have her draw
pictures of a story? Then later on, when she's ready
have her go back and write about it. She can tell you
by her pictures, what her story is about.
I just pulled my two kids out of school at the end of
this year, and my daughter is 9 (in July), and my son
is 10. They have been through public schools, and
they were taught to spell phonetically. My daughter
is a really good speller (we worked with both on
spelling the correct way.), but my son's spelling is
bad. I am finding myself back tracking to help him
learn the right way again.
It will come to your daughter. Just give her time.
You'll see one day, she'll just pick up a pencil, or
crayon, or whatever, and will start on her own.
This may be the period she needs to "deschool". (I am
also new to this, but was told that after being in
public schools, the kids need time to relax, and have
some fun.). Hope this helps.
Good luck, and enjoy. They stay little for such a
short time.
--- kbcdlovejo@... wrote:
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
Instead of having her write, why not have her draw
pictures of a story? Then later on, when she's ready
have her go back and write about it. She can tell you
by her pictures, what her story is about.
I just pulled my two kids out of school at the end of
this year, and my daughter is 9 (in July), and my son
is 10. They have been through public schools, and
they were taught to spell phonetically. My daughter
is a really good speller (we worked with both on
spelling the correct way.), but my son's spelling is
bad. I am finding myself back tracking to help him
learn the right way again.
It will come to your daughter. Just give her time.
You'll see one day, she'll just pick up a pencil, or
crayon, or whatever, and will start on her own.
This may be the period she needs to "deschool". (I am
also new to this, but was told that after being in
public schools, the kids need time to relax, and have
some fun.). Hope this helps.
Good luck, and enjoy. They stay little for such a
short time.
--- kbcdlovejo@... wrote:
> -----Original Message-----________________________________________________________________________
> From: GregMonica@...
>
> Hi, we've just begun unschooling our 7-year-old
> daughter after two
> years of public school. We've done a LOT of reading
> about
> unschooling, but we're still struggling with a few
> things. Mostly,
> we're worried about her writing. Her penmanship is
> pretty bad, and
> she really hates to write. Or, I should say, she
> hates the act of
> putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to
> dictate stories and
> poems to us and have us write it for her!
>
> -=-=-
>
> Writewritewritewrite FOR her. Even *schools* have
> finally figured out
> that dictation is the best way to get young stories
> out. Forcing her to
> write her own stories may force her to quit
> altogether. Is that what
> you want?
>
> There are people who've been through 20 years of
> compulsory writing.
> They STILL have lousy handwriting, yet they're
> extremely well-paid.
>
> We call them doctors. <g>
>
> Relax.
>
> -=-=-=-
>
> I know we should just relax and trust that she'll
> write when she's
> ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind.
> I worry that if
> I leave it up to her, she'll won't write for years
> and she'll
> probably have poor handwriting her whole life!
>
> -=-=-
>
> She might. She might not write for years, but I'd
> rather my child be a
> creative storyteller. <g>
> She might have poor handwriting, but be the next
> great bestselling
> author. I don't know anyone who uses pen or pencil
> any more. KEYBOARD
> SKILLS! Now *that's* useful! <g>
>
> -=-=-=-
>
> We've really embraced
> the unschooling philosophy in every other way, but
> writing is where
> she was already a bit behind when she left public
> school. I've tried
> requiring that she write in her journal every day,
> but that is met
> with groans and I'm afraid I'm turning her off of
> writing for good.
>
> -=-==-
>
> You're answering your own question!
>
> You could very well turn her off. Back off.
>
> -=-=-=-
>
>
> We really need advice. Should we just relax and not
> worry if she
> doesn't pick up a pencil all year?
>
> -=-=-
>
> Tell you what. Why don't you forbid the use of
> pens or pencils for one
> year? <bwg> Wanna guess what'll happen? <G>
>
> You're pushing too hard!
>
> -=-=-=-
>
> Should we try to place things in her path that
> require writing but
> don't force her to choose those
> things?
>
> -=-=-=-
>
> No. Make sure she has access to all sorts of
> beautiful, scented
> papers. Nice calligraphy pens, gel pens, flashy
> markers. Just have them
> available---to use...or NOT! Maybe *you* could start
> writing friends
> snail mail letters. Let her see you doing something
> beautiful. Go take
> a calligraphy class. For YOU, not her.
>
> -=-=-=-=-
>
> What have you done?
>
> -=-=-=-
>
> What I wrote above. Nice papers, cards, etc. Nice
> pens and colored
> pencils. Sam's had 100 gel pens in every color for
> $20 last Christmas.
> Cool! I got one for us and gave another to a friend
> of Duncan's. She
> was thrilled.
>
> We make our own cards for birthdays and such. We
> write thank you
> notes. We have LOTS of beautiful pens to play
> with---nothing is
> off-limits.
>
> -=-=-=-=-
>
>
> Are there any stories of children who
> didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at
> nine ot ten? Any
> thoughts would help--
>
> -=-=-=-=-
>
> Mine have always liked to write. But we just got a
> laptop, so Duncan
> (10) and I can be online at the same time in the
> same room. He's been
> online all day googling and taking "tests" (what
> kind of animal/anime
> character/tree/demon/fish are you? <g>. I've been
> spelling words all
> day. He's typing away. Google helps because it
> prompts if you've
> misspelled. <g> Handy little gadget! <G>
>
> But it happens when it happens. I could have been
> forcing him to be ON
> the computer, working on his keyboard skills; but
> this way, *he* is in
> charge of when and how and why. Hugely empowering!
> Huge!
>
> She may decide to write when she's nine or ten,
> but she may decide to
> write in two weeks. Or when she's 12. Her
> handwriting will be beautiful
> if--- and only if!---she wants it to be. Only if
> *she* cares enough and
> chooses to. Doesn't matter what *you* want!
>
>
> ~Kelly
>
> Kelly Lovejoy
> Conference Coordinator
> Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
> http://liveandlearnconference.org
>
> "It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron
> McGlohn. aged 6
>
>
>
> Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, videoVanessa
> search, pictures, email
> and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
>
>
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: solelokuai@...
The only thing I can think of really is forms you have to fill out
for applying to something... hm, is her handwriting enough for that?
-=-=-=-=-=-
And at seven years old, *that* shouldn't even be a consideration! <g>
-=-=-=-
And if I understood well the concept of unschooling, do it yourself.
Somewhere I read, some children never see their parents sleep
(because they go later to sleep and stand up earlier), so naturally
their children don't want to go to sleep. I think my daughter almost
never sees me hand writing, only at the computer. Why should she
bother doing it herself, if she only sees people typing?
-=-=-=
Good observation! The sleeping thing. I've never thought of that.
I use that example often about failing though. Children hardly ever
see adults struggle or fail at new things. Mine got a recent good dose
of my seeming inability to provide for my family: potatoes.
It's a really good thing that my family isn't relying on me to produce
all we eat! <g> We would have all starved to death the first year as
pioneers. I bought a pound of cute little fingerling potatoes to plant.
I dug them up last week. I harvested LESS than a pound to eat! <g> They
were delicious, but we had only enough for three of us to have a
*taste* of the lovely, tender little potatoes. I'll try again next
year. <g>
If your daughter saw *you* trying your hand at calligraphy, she may
find it intriguing enough to try as well. If all she hears is how much
better *her* writing should *be*,....
OH! And I was at a school this morning (dropping off books). The
teachers had given me their handwritten orders. It's a GOOD thing
*they* aren't being graded on penmanship!!! Illegible chickenscratch!
Only one teacher handed his in to me typed. Clever fellow. At least I
could read *his*. Yet they all have jobs---and most are in their 30s,
40s, and 50s. <g>
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
From: solelokuai@...
The only thing I can think of really is forms you have to fill out
for applying to something... hm, is her handwriting enough for that?
-=-=-=-=-=-
And at seven years old, *that* shouldn't even be a consideration! <g>
-=-=-=-
And if I understood well the concept of unschooling, do it yourself.
Somewhere I read, some children never see their parents sleep
(because they go later to sleep and stand up earlier), so naturally
their children don't want to go to sleep. I think my daughter almost
never sees me hand writing, only at the computer. Why should she
bother doing it herself, if she only sees people typing?
-=-=-=
Good observation! The sleeping thing. I've never thought of that.
I use that example often about failing though. Children hardly ever
see adults struggle or fail at new things. Mine got a recent good dose
of my seeming inability to provide for my family: potatoes.
It's a really good thing that my family isn't relying on me to produce
all we eat! <g> We would have all starved to death the first year as
pioneers. I bought a pound of cute little fingerling potatoes to plant.
I dug them up last week. I harvested LESS than a pound to eat! <g> They
were delicious, but we had only enough for three of us to have a
*taste* of the lovely, tender little potatoes. I'll try again next
year. <g>
If your daughter saw *you* trying your hand at calligraphy, she may
find it intriguing enough to try as well. If all she hears is how much
better *her* writing should *be*,....
OH! And I was at a school this morning (dropping off books). The
teachers had given me their handwritten orders. It's a GOOD thing
*they* aren't being graded on penmanship!!! Illegible chickenscratch!
Only one teacher handed his in to me typed. Clever fellow. At least I
could read *his*. Yet they all have jobs---and most are in their 30s,
40s, and 50s. <g>
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/25/2006 6:07:23 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
kbcdlovejo@... writes:
Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
thoughts would help-
Logan hasn't been interested in writing much at all except the occasional
phone message, post card or thank you card. He does spend lots of his time
thinking about and creating various inventions. His room is filled with wires
and robot parts and batteries and creations in various stages of production.
Recently, he found a composition book that has been lying around here for
years and started writing up descriptions for all his ideas and inventions. He
carries it around with him everywhere especially if we are going to be in the
car awhile. Pages and pages of his writings and drawings. He's shared some
with me and I found it amazing. Great descriptions, very few misspellings,
good punctuation. Best of all, he's writing it all because he wants to get
those ideas on paper.
He did tell me today that one time when he was about 7 and we were still
doing "school at home" that I was in a bad mood and made him write in his
journal and told him that he had to be finished in 15 minutes." :-( All these
years, he has carried that around. I told him I was so sorry. We had a
great conversation about how much better our lives have been the past few years
with unschooling. I completely believe that if I hadn't made him write at 7
it wouldn't have taken him 6 years to recover enough to want to write again.
Gail
Gail
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
kbcdlovejo@... writes:
Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
thoughts would help-
>>>>>>Quick Story about my son at age 13.....
Logan hasn't been interested in writing much at all except the occasional
phone message, post card or thank you card. He does spend lots of his time
thinking about and creating various inventions. His room is filled with wires
and robot parts and batteries and creations in various stages of production.
Recently, he found a composition book that has been lying around here for
years and started writing up descriptions for all his ideas and inventions. He
carries it around with him everywhere especially if we are going to be in the
car awhile. Pages and pages of his writings and drawings. He's shared some
with me and I found it amazing. Great descriptions, very few misspellings,
good punctuation. Best of all, he's writing it all because he wants to get
those ideas on paper.
He did tell me today that one time when he was about 7 and we were still
doing "school at home" that I was in a bad mood and made him write in his
journal and told him that he had to be finished in 15 minutes." :-( All these
years, he has carried that around. I told him I was so sorry. We had a
great conversation about how much better our lives have been the past few years
with unschooling. I completely believe that if I hadn't made him write at 7
it wouldn't have taken him 6 years to recover enough to want to write again.
Gail
Gail
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: psychomom95@...
Instead of having her write, why not have her draw
pictures of a story? Then later on, when she's ready
have her go back and write about it. She can tell you
by her pictures, what her story is about.
-=-=-=-
I'd avoid "having" her do anything. She could simply dictate her story.
*You* write. She may or may not want it illustrated. Some people hate
illustrating, right, Ren??? <g>
I made this mistake when Cam first came out of school at the end of
sixth grade. I would read him short stories and poems and have him draw
a picture. He's a clever artist, but hated to read and write. I was
doing the hard stuff *for* him, so I thought he least *he* could do was
to draw.
Bummer.
He learned to hate *all* of it! Wouldn't read or write OR draw!
I backed off (with advice from other unschoolers). It took him four
years before he chose to read anything and five years before he read
his first book! He *always* has reading material with him now. He
writes (with the prettiest handwriting I've ever seen!). He draws. He's
busy. <g>
-=-=-=-=-
I just pulled my two kids out of school at the end of
this year, and my daughter is 9 (in July), and my son
is 10. They have been through public schools, and
they were taught to spell phonetically. My daughter
is a really good speller (we worked with both on
spelling the correct way.), but my son's spelling is
bad. I am finding myself back tracking to help him
learn the right way again.
-=-=-=-
Just spell things for him. He'll pick it up or not as he goes. When
he's ready, he'll decide whether it's important to him to spell well.
-=-=-=-
It will come to your daughter. Just give her time.
You'll see one day, she'll just pick up a pencil, or
crayon, or whatever, and will start on her own.
-=-=-=-
Good advice. Spelling is the same! <g>
-=-==-=-
This may be the period she needs to "deschool". (I am
also new to this, but was told that after being in
public schools, the kids need time to relax, and have
some fun.). Hope this helps.
-=-=-=-
Right. She needs time to heal form school. Your pushing more doesn't
allow for the healing.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
From: psychomom95@...
Instead of having her write, why not have her draw
pictures of a story? Then later on, when she's ready
have her go back and write about it. She can tell you
by her pictures, what her story is about.
-=-=-=-
I'd avoid "having" her do anything. She could simply dictate her story.
*You* write. She may or may not want it illustrated. Some people hate
illustrating, right, Ren??? <g>
I made this mistake when Cam first came out of school at the end of
sixth grade. I would read him short stories and poems and have him draw
a picture. He's a clever artist, but hated to read and write. I was
doing the hard stuff *for* him, so I thought he least *he* could do was
to draw.
Bummer.
He learned to hate *all* of it! Wouldn't read or write OR draw!
I backed off (with advice from other unschoolers). It took him four
years before he chose to read anything and five years before he read
his first book! He *always* has reading material with him now. He
writes (with the prettiest handwriting I've ever seen!). He draws. He's
busy. <g>
-=-=-=-=-
I just pulled my two kids out of school at the end of
this year, and my daughter is 9 (in July), and my son
is 10. They have been through public schools, and
they were taught to spell phonetically. My daughter
is a really good speller (we worked with both on
spelling the correct way.), but my son's spelling is
bad. I am finding myself back tracking to help him
learn the right way again.
-=-=-=-
Just spell things for him. He'll pick it up or not as he goes. When
he's ready, he'll decide whether it's important to him to spell well.
-=-=-=-
It will come to your daughter. Just give her time.
You'll see one day, she'll just pick up a pencil, or
crayon, or whatever, and will start on her own.
-=-=-=-
Good advice. Spelling is the same! <g>
-=-==-=-
This may be the period she needs to "deschool". (I am
also new to this, but was told that after being in
public schools, the kids need time to relax, and have
some fun.). Hope this helps.
-=-=-=-
Right. She needs time to heal form school. Your pushing more doesn't
allow for the healing.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/25/06, Monica <GregMonica@...> wrote:
writing assignments and he still has horrid hand writing :) My
children don't have very good handwriting but most of them can type
and my oldest can type almost as fast as I can (I type somewhere
around 70wpm or 60cwpm) even though it is fairly unconventional and
not using the "right fingers." If the physical act of writing is
something that she may find important in her life (I'm thinking of
someone who takes notes that other people will have to read such as a
nurse or doctor or hmmm, not sure who else LOL!) that she will find a
way to write legibly. For now dictating and writing her stories down
for her is great! Later she may not want you to interpret her words
on paper or she will learn to use the computer. Most of the
professions that I can think of that would entail writing would also
be ones where a computer was used. (Although I was thinking that a
school teacher might want to write neatly, but then wondered if there
were many unschoolers who grew up to become school teachers. Hmmmm.)
:-) Most other writing is stuff we do for ourselves such as jotting
notes, making lists, etc. We have become a society where handwriting
and penmanship isn't as important as it was just 20 years ago.
Relax. Breathe. Let go of this. It's coming between you and joyful
living (for both you and your daughter).
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
> . Or, I should say, she hates the act ofMy co-parent went through 12 years of public schooling with forced
> putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to dictate stories and
> poems to us and have us write it for her!
>
> I know we should just relax and trust that she'll write when she's
> ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind.
writing assignments and he still has horrid hand writing :) My
children don't have very good handwriting but most of them can type
and my oldest can type almost as fast as I can (I type somewhere
around 70wpm or 60cwpm) even though it is fairly unconventional and
not using the "right fingers." If the physical act of writing is
something that she may find important in her life (I'm thinking of
someone who takes notes that other people will have to read such as a
nurse or doctor or hmmm, not sure who else LOL!) that she will find a
way to write legibly. For now dictating and writing her stories down
for her is great! Later she may not want you to interpret her words
on paper or she will learn to use the computer. Most of the
professions that I can think of that would entail writing would also
be ones where a computer was used. (Although I was thinking that a
school teacher might want to write neatly, but then wondered if there
were many unschoolers who grew up to become school teachers. Hmmmm.)
:-) Most other writing is stuff we do for ourselves such as jotting
notes, making lists, etc. We have become a society where handwriting
and penmanship isn't as important as it was just 20 years ago.
Relax. Breathe. Let go of this. It's coming between you and joyful
living (for both you and your daughter).
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/25/06, Solé <solelokuai@...> wrote:
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
> The essence of writing occurs in your head. The medium doesn't matterJohanna this is BEAUTIFUL!!!
> so much.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Monica
Thanks so much, everyone! I really needed to hear this! I think
myself and my husband are going through a bit of deschooling
ourselves! Just to clarify, though, it's not merely sloppy
handwriting I'm worried about. It's backwards letters and spelling
that is often unreadable. I don't care if her handwriting is sloppy
when she grows up, I just want her to learn to express herself
through written language. But, even so, I'm going to back off and
just let her find it at her own pace. I agree that I would much
rather she enjoy the creative process than be technically
proficient. The reading and writing part is difficult for me to just
let happen, though, because I've always been an avid reader and a
good speller. But she's only seven, right? And as it says in "The
Prophet," "Your children are not your children. . . you can give
them your love but not your thoughts."
The pretty paper and nice pens are a great idea! She sees both of us
writing both on paper and on computer, but the creative writing is
always done on the computer. I'm going to release this worry and let
her come to it in her time. My only fear with this course is what
will happen if we find out I have to teach in the daytime next year.
I'm an adjunct professor of theatre, teaching night classes. How
will she adjust if she has to go back to school? Could I live with
myself if we had to send her back? I hope to be able to keep her
home as long as possible and give her the time to learn at her own
schedule, but will she adjust if it doesn't work that way?
Oh dear, I didn't mean to open up a new can of worms! For now, I'm
just not going to worry and I'm going to enjoy this new lifestyle.
So far, it's changed so much about the way we live! I feel so much
closer to my daughter and we're really enjoying integrating her and
her interests into our lives. Thanks again for all the great
comments!
Monica
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
myself and my husband are going through a bit of deschooling
ourselves! Just to clarify, though, it's not merely sloppy
handwriting I'm worried about. It's backwards letters and spelling
that is often unreadable. I don't care if her handwriting is sloppy
when she grows up, I just want her to learn to express herself
through written language. But, even so, I'm going to back off and
just let her find it at her own pace. I agree that I would much
rather she enjoy the creative process than be technically
proficient. The reading and writing part is difficult for me to just
let happen, though, because I've always been an avid reader and a
good speller. But she's only seven, right? And as it says in "The
Prophet," "Your children are not your children. . . you can give
them your love but not your thoughts."
The pretty paper and nice pens are a great idea! She sees both of us
writing both on paper and on computer, but the creative writing is
always done on the computer. I'm going to release this worry and let
her come to it in her time. My only fear with this course is what
will happen if we find out I have to teach in the daytime next year.
I'm an adjunct professor of theatre, teaching night classes. How
will she adjust if she has to go back to school? Could I live with
myself if we had to send her back? I hope to be able to keep her
home as long as possible and give her the time to learn at her own
schedule, but will she adjust if it doesn't work that way?
Oh dear, I didn't mean to open up a new can of worms! For now, I'm
just not going to worry and I'm going to enjoy this new lifestyle.
So far, it's changed so much about the way we live! I feel so much
closer to my daughter and we're really enjoying integrating her and
her interests into our lives. Thanks again for all the great
comments!
Monica
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>matter
> On 8/25/06, Solé <solelokuai@...> wrote:
>
> > The essence of writing occurs in your head. The medium doesn't
> > so much.
>
> Johanna this is BEAUTIFUL!!!
>
> --
> Michelle
> aka Melbrigða
> http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
> [email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
>
Joyce Fetteroll
On Aug 25, 2006, at 9:40 PM, Monica wrote:
recognize when something was spelled wrong but I couldn't always fix
it. Now that spell-check-as-you-type is pretty common in lots of
software, I've gotten much better!
I, too, love to read and though Kathryn has been able to read for a
long time, it wasn't until she was 13 or 14 that she read for
pleasure and now used bookstores have become her current passion ;-)
She still doesn't read a lot as I did as a child -- books at least --
but she is reading adult level books effortlessly and with enjoyment.
(The idea has been kicked around that for a lot of us books were an
escape from school and life but since unschooled kids don't need the
outlet of escape as much, that removes one cause of bookworminess ;-)
Escaping life isn't the only reason to be a bookworm, of course. Lots
of unschooled kids do read a lot. It's just that we're raising kids
who don't *need* to escape life :-)
last years of your life would you rather spend your whole life in bed
to prepare for it, or live a full life and then adjust when the time
came?
backwards letters and numbers persisted until she was 10 or so and
she writes *a lot*.
Oh, here's something I wrote when she was 7 about handwriting:
http://sandradodd.com/joyce/independence
If you go to the webpage and scroll down to the bottom you can see a
sample of her writing and handwriting from last year. (You can click
on it to enlarge it.)
[Q: What about children who do not write well, children who use
capitals in the middle of a word?]
That's normal. It sounds like my 7 yo.
My 7 yo daughter has rarely had a writing implement out of her hand
since she picked one up at age two. We've gone through at least two
cartons of blank paper for her drawings and writings. Her handwriting
is still lousy, but not for want of practice at small motor skills or
whatever. She spent 2 months in school and it improved then but
slipped back after she left because right now it isn't an important
part of writing for her. When she writes, the point is to get the
thoughts in her head down on paper. (And don't get the idea she's
writing Moby Dick ;-) They are very simple stories, notes, signs,
sometimes just a label on a picture.) When she is writing, forming
the letters in a standard way just interfers with that process.
Writing "properly" is more like art and at the moment, she's more
interested in other things. When she's interested in writing so
others can read, or in more artistic handwriting, then she will do
so. *My* part in the process is to provide opportunities for her to
take up when she's ready. I make sure she knows the books on Italic
handwriting are there for her, pull out the calligraphy books every
once in a while, pull out the Magnadoodle and form letters with her
occasionally (this is a *game*, I don't make her do it if she'd
rather do something else). I did write out a bunch of fun personal
words and names, one or more for each letter of the alphabet. Maybe I
should have them laminated so she can play around with them and trace
over them. She'll write well when she's ready as long as she has
access to materials to help her, a helpful mom and she knows the
process will be intriging and the skill useful or pleasing to her.
2006 Update
Kathryn, who's 14 now, and I were just discussing what I wrote about
handwriting seven years ago. She says she remembers tracing numbers
and doing letters on the Magna Doodle but that she just went back to
forming the letters the way she was used to when we were done. She
said the tracing was fun but that as far as helping her to form her
letters in the more traditional way it had zero effect ;-) I'd say
she's spot on with her assessment! At seven she didn't have a need
for traditional handwriting. Just getting the words down in whatever
way she could was what was important to her�and familiar was easy and
fast, even if the way she formed them looked more difficult to me!
For someone who wrote so much�she started cranking out comic books at
eight and went through several more cartons of paper (and, yes, I
mean cartons (boxes) not packages!)�she reversed a fair number of
letters and numbers for a long time. She was at least 10, perhaps 11,
when the reversals disappeared. Now at 14 her handwriting is
indistinguishable from others her age. Which begs the question of
what the purpose of all the years of forced practice is for kids.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> The reading and writing part is difficult for me to justSpelling I was sort of middle of the road on. I could usually
> let happen, though, because I've always been an avid reader and a
> good speller.
recognize when something was spelled wrong but I couldn't always fix
it. Now that spell-check-as-you-type is pretty common in lots of
software, I've gotten much better!
I, too, love to read and though Kathryn has been able to read for a
long time, it wasn't until she was 13 or 14 that she read for
pleasure and now used bookstores have become her current passion ;-)
She still doesn't read a lot as I did as a child -- books at least --
but she is reading adult level books effortlessly and with enjoyment.
(The idea has been kicked around that for a lot of us books were an
escape from school and life but since unschooled kids don't need the
outlet of escape as much, that removes one cause of bookworminess ;-)
Escaping life isn't the only reason to be a bookworm, of course. Lots
of unschooled kids do read a lot. It's just that we're raising kids
who don't *need* to escape life :-)
> I hope to be able to keep herIf you knew you were going to end up confined to your bed for the
> home as long as possible and give her the time to learn at her own
> schedule, but will she adjust if it doesn't work that way?
last years of your life would you rather spend your whole life in bed
to prepare for it, or live a full life and then adjust when the time
came?
> It's backwards letters and spellingThat's pretty typical. I think for my daughter the last of the
> that is often unreadable.
backwards letters and numbers persisted until she was 10 or so and
she writes *a lot*.
Oh, here's something I wrote when she was 7 about handwriting:
http://sandradodd.com/joyce/independence
If you go to the webpage and scroll down to the bottom you can see a
sample of her writing and handwriting from last year. (You can click
on it to enlarge it.)
[Q: What about children who do not write well, children who use
capitals in the middle of a word?]
That's normal. It sounds like my 7 yo.
My 7 yo daughter has rarely had a writing implement out of her hand
since she picked one up at age two. We've gone through at least two
cartons of blank paper for her drawings and writings. Her handwriting
is still lousy, but not for want of practice at small motor skills or
whatever. She spent 2 months in school and it improved then but
slipped back after she left because right now it isn't an important
part of writing for her. When she writes, the point is to get the
thoughts in her head down on paper. (And don't get the idea she's
writing Moby Dick ;-) They are very simple stories, notes, signs,
sometimes just a label on a picture.) When she is writing, forming
the letters in a standard way just interfers with that process.
Writing "properly" is more like art and at the moment, she's more
interested in other things. When she's interested in writing so
others can read, or in more artistic handwriting, then she will do
so. *My* part in the process is to provide opportunities for her to
take up when she's ready. I make sure she knows the books on Italic
handwriting are there for her, pull out the calligraphy books every
once in a while, pull out the Magnadoodle and form letters with her
occasionally (this is a *game*, I don't make her do it if she'd
rather do something else). I did write out a bunch of fun personal
words and names, one or more for each letter of the alphabet. Maybe I
should have them laminated so she can play around with them and trace
over them. She'll write well when she's ready as long as she has
access to materials to help her, a helpful mom and she knows the
process will be intriging and the skill useful or pleasing to her.
2006 Update
Kathryn, who's 14 now, and I were just discussing what I wrote about
handwriting seven years ago. She says she remembers tracing numbers
and doing letters on the Magna Doodle but that she just went back to
forming the letters the way she was used to when we were done. She
said the tracing was fun but that as far as helping her to form her
letters in the more traditional way it had zero effect ;-) I'd say
she's spot on with her assessment! At seven she didn't have a need
for traditional handwriting. Just getting the words down in whatever
way she could was what was important to her�and familiar was easy and
fast, even if the way she formed them looked more difficult to me!
For someone who wrote so much�she started cranking out comic books at
eight and went through several more cartons of paper (and, yes, I
mean cartons (boxes) not packages!)�she reversed a fair number of
letters and numbers for a long time. She was at least 10, perhaps 11,
when the reversals disappeared. Now at 14 her handwriting is
indistinguishable from others her age. Which begs the question of
what the purpose of all the years of forced practice is for kids.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
April Morris
7 is so young!
<<<Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten?>>>
Not nine or ten.....more like 12 or 13. My oldest hated writing. It was a
chore to be done only when necessary. Especially the physical act of
writing. I wasn't completely homeschooling her then, but we were pretty
relaxed. I did a lot of dictation (on the computer, because to be honest, I
don't like to write by hand myself). We did a lot of oral storytelling, we
read lots of books. She learned to type and was good at it. We gradually let
go of the idea that she 'had' to write. I stopped pushing her. Then
suddenly, something clicked in her. She began to write and write and write.
Now she doesn't go anywhere without her little black notebook. She writes
stories, poetry, plays.....she has notebooks full. I'm not saying this to
imply that every late-writing child will suddenly love to write, but to say
that the age doesn't matter. When she was ready, she wrote and she writes
well.
--
~April
Mom to Kate-20, Lisa-17, Karl-15, & Ben-11.
*REACH Homeschool Grp, an inclusive group in Oakland County
http://www.reachhomeschool.com
* Michigan Unschoolers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michigan_unschoolers/
*Check out Chuck's art www.artkunst23.com
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
Gandalf the Grey
<<<Are there any stories of children who
didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten?>>>
Not nine or ten.....more like 12 or 13. My oldest hated writing. It was a
chore to be done only when necessary. Especially the physical act of
writing. I wasn't completely homeschooling her then, but we were pretty
relaxed. I did a lot of dictation (on the computer, because to be honest, I
don't like to write by hand myself). We did a lot of oral storytelling, we
read lots of books. She learned to type and was good at it. We gradually let
go of the idea that she 'had' to write. I stopped pushing her. Then
suddenly, something clicked in her. She began to write and write and write.
Now she doesn't go anywhere without her little black notebook. She writes
stories, poetry, plays.....she has notebooks full. I'm not saying this to
imply that every late-writing child will suddenly love to write, but to say
that the age doesn't matter. When she was ready, she wrote and she writes
well.
--
~April
Mom to Kate-20, Lisa-17, Karl-15, & Ben-11.
*REACH Homeschool Grp, an inclusive group in Oakland County
http://www.reachhomeschool.com
* Michigan Unschoolers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michigan_unschoolers/
*Check out Chuck's art www.artkunst23.com
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
Gandalf the Grey
On 8/25/06, Monica <GregMonica@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, we've just begun unschooling our 7-year-old daughter after two
> years of public school. We've done a LOT of reading about
> unschooling, but we're still struggling with a few things. Mostly,
> we're worried about her writing. Her penmanship is pretty bad, and
> she really hates to write. Or, I should say, she hates the act of
> putting pencil to paper. She actually likes to dictate stories and
> poems to us and have us write it for her!
>
> I know we should just relax and trust that she'll write when she's
> ready, but I guess I've reached a block in my mind. I worry that if
> I leave it up to her, she'll won't write for years and she'll
> probably have poor handwriting her whole life! We've really embraced
> the unschooling philosophy in every other way, but writing is where
> she was already a bit behind when she left public school. I've tried
> requiring that she write in her journal every day, but that is met
> with groans and I'm afraid I'm turning her off of writing for good.
> We really need advice. Should we just relax and not worry if she
> doesn't pick up a pencil all year? Should we try to place things in
> her path that require writing but don't force her to choose those
> things? What have you done? Are there any stories of children who
> didn't like to write but suddenly got excited at nine ot ten? Any
> thoughts would help--
>
> Monica
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Beth Fleming
gailbrocop@... wrote:
//He did tell me today that one time when he was about 7 and we were still
doing "school at home" that I was in a bad mood and made him write in his
journal and told him that he had to be finished in 15 minutes." :-( All these
years, he has carried that around. I told him I was so sorry. We had a
great conversation about how much better our lives have been the past few years
with unschooling. I completely believe that if I hadn't made him write at 7
it wouldn't have taken him 6 years to recover enough to want to write again.
Gail//
My daughter, just turned 10, does not like to write either and I know it's because of me! :( I used to push her to write in a journal every day when we first started homeschooling (she was 7)....she, too, is still holding on to this. She is also a perfectionist, so any misspellings, grammatical mistakes, etc. are not acceptable to her. I gave up the idea of the journal pretty fast! and she just recently started a notebook to makes charts and notes of her different hermit crabs. She has a reason to write herself (and it wasn't the reason I was expecting! Surprise!!)
I remeber having a discussion with a friend of ours (college writing professor) about my dd's lack of enthusiasm about writing. She said that if she likes to read anmd has a good grasp of the language, not to worry. Her biggest hurdle with her college writing students is that most don't like to read or show creativity in their spoken language, so they have a very hard time transferring their thoughts to writing.
Just another story to illustrate....don't worry...and don't push!
Peace,
Beth
Gail
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling Mom to Frances (9), Will (7), Catherine (2), and Grace (6 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
//He did tell me today that one time when he was about 7 and we were still
doing "school at home" that I was in a bad mood and made him write in his
journal and told him that he had to be finished in 15 minutes." :-( All these
years, he has carried that around. I told him I was so sorry. We had a
great conversation about how much better our lives have been the past few years
with unschooling. I completely believe that if I hadn't made him write at 7
it wouldn't have taken him 6 years to recover enough to want to write again.
Gail//
My daughter, just turned 10, does not like to write either and I know it's because of me! :( I used to push her to write in a journal every day when we first started homeschooling (she was 7)....she, too, is still holding on to this. She is also a perfectionist, so any misspellings, grammatical mistakes, etc. are not acceptable to her. I gave up the idea of the journal pretty fast! and she just recently started a notebook to makes charts and notes of her different hermit crabs. She has a reason to write herself (and it wasn't the reason I was expecting! Surprise!!)
I remeber having a discussion with a friend of ours (college writing professor) about my dd's lack of enthusiasm about writing. She said that if she likes to read anmd has a good grasp of the language, not to worry. Her biggest hurdle with her college writing students is that most don't like to read or show creativity in their spoken language, so they have a very hard time transferring their thoughts to writing.
Just another story to illustrate....don't worry...and don't push!
Peace,
Beth
Gail
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling Mom to Frances (9), Will (7), Catherine (2), and Grace (6 months)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
dana_burdick
<I'm not saying this to
imply that every late-writing child will suddenly love to write, but
to say
that the age doesn't matter.
in order to put even a few sentences down on paper. I would say
that forcing children to write at such early ages is contrary to
most children's natural learning pace. There is so much more to
experience in the world for young children than school teachers ever
acknowledge. It's only in school that we have the concept of early
and late learning. It's likely that most children, left on their
own, would take on a writing endeavor in their teen years. But, I
believe taking on any endeavor in our lives, regardless of age,
happens exactly at the write time (pun intended) - for US.
I did not read much at all as a child. I felt that I was a
perfectly horrible child for not reading. The shame and guilt just
made it worse and so I declared that I was not a reader. Now, time
has past and I have had kids and I have gotten a chance to read all
those kids stories that I missed out on as a child. I have decided
to read some of those books on my own. I just finished "Little
House on the Prairie." Is this too late?
-Dana
imply that every late-writing child will suddenly love to write, but
to say
that the age doesn't matter.
>Is 12 or 13 late? It seems to me that so much living has to be done
in order to put even a few sentences down on paper. I would say
that forcing children to write at such early ages is contrary to
most children's natural learning pace. There is so much more to
experience in the world for young children than school teachers ever
acknowledge. It's only in school that we have the concept of early
and late learning. It's likely that most children, left on their
own, would take on a writing endeavor in their teen years. But, I
believe taking on any endeavor in our lives, regardless of age,
happens exactly at the write time (pun intended) - for US.
I did not read much at all as a child. I felt that I was a
perfectly horrible child for not reading. The shame and guilt just
made it worse and so I declared that I was not a reader. Now, time
has past and I have had kids and I have gotten a chance to read all
those kids stories that I missed out on as a child. I have decided
to read some of those books on my own. I just finished "Little
House on the Prairie." Is this too late?
-Dana
John and Amanda Slater
> It's backwards letters and spellingDoes she want to improve her writing? If she is frustrated, you might want to research dysgraphia. It is like dyslexia, but with writing. It might be worth reading into a little. There are some simple techniques that can help. Many children will figure it out on their own, but some can benefit. I know there is tracing and staying between the lines as part of the process. Mazes and tracing books work well, it does not have to be letters. If she is not interested now, you would have ideas for later if she becomes frustrated. These are techniques she could practice as she gets interested and would not need any outside help. My sister used to draw upside down and write is if in mirror. Several years later, she has no problems. It is usually overcome.
> that is often unreadable.
I would not place more importance on writing than anything else in her life. Just treat it as you would anything else. Let her enjoy the parts she likes, but be ready to help her if she gets frustrated. Treat writing as any other interest. I know I often learn about what my children are interested in at a deeper level than they are capable of. That way I can answer their questions as they come up. Ask me anything about Thomas or construction trucks. Two topics I knew nothing of before life with boys. I just tell them what they ask though. They don't always want to know everything as once. I keep information in reserve for later.
Amanda
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/26/06, John and Amanda Slater <fourslaterz@...> wrote:
common in young children. Especially for children that don't consider
writing something that is important. Writing is much like reading in
that one *can* form letters to create words, but the act of *writing*
(that flowing movement of letters to form words) is something that
develops over time. If this child is also a beginner reader or a
non-reader then I would also presume that this child is a beginning
writer or a non-writer as well.
I wouldn't call it a problem until I was sure it was a problem. I
wouldn't go looking for a problem when there isn't one or you may
cause a problem that is bigger than if you let things progress at
their natural time.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
>this child is seven! Backwards letters and poor spelling are very
>
> > It's backwards letters and spelling
> > that is often unreadable.
>
> Does she want to improve her writing? If she is frustrated, you might want to research dysgraphia. It is like dyslexia, but with writing.
common in young children. Especially for children that don't consider
writing something that is important. Writing is much like reading in
that one *can* form letters to create words, but the act of *writing*
(that flowing movement of letters to form words) is something that
develops over time. If this child is also a beginner reader or a
non-reader then I would also presume that this child is a beginning
writer or a non-writer as well.
I wouldn't call it a problem until I was sure it was a problem. I
wouldn't go looking for a problem when there isn't one or you may
cause a problem that is bigger than if you let things progress at
their natural time.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist