"not" reading or writing - WAS Mathematics for a schooled girl
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Meredith wrote:
<< If your kids previously read a lot of novels, in particular,
are they watching shows and movies and playing games that have novel-
like qualities? That was something I found *myself* doing when we
first got Netflix, and then again when I discovered fantasy role-
playing computer games (there aren't nearly enough of these!) I had
been "trained" to think that movies and shows and games were somehow
less than reading, but when I was able to step away from that I
could see how I was choosing to watch and play the same sorts of
things I would choose to read. >>
This is my first post, here, I think, and I really liked this point, and
wanted to add a smiliar one about writing.
I write *all* the time, in my head. I think up ideas, connect them and
organize them, but I just don't always feel the need to write them down and share
them.
I've discovered my 11yo daughter does the same thing, it's just disguised as
playing with stuffed animals. Most people interpret this as "she loves
animals and will probably grow up to be a vet." But that's not really it. She's
writing. She's creating characters. They each have their own separate
identity, she imagines what each one would say to each of the others in various
situations and settings. She thinks up plots and works out conflicts. It's all
part of the writing process, it's not all that visible unless you're looking for
it because so much of it is happening *inside* her head.
Her friends do the same thing, and recently they started having e-mail
conversations between the animals. So then it was obvious. I could see her sitting
at the computer typing up dialog in each character's particular voice and
seeing *in writing* (proof!!!) that it really is writing. But by then I didn't
really need the proof, because we've been doing this long enough for me to
learn to trust that valuable things are happening in her head, all the time, and
that each thing doesn't have to lead to something more "productive" and
"schooly-looking" to be worthwhile.
Patty
************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
<< If your kids previously read a lot of novels, in particular,
are they watching shows and movies and playing games that have novel-
like qualities? That was something I found *myself* doing when we
first got Netflix, and then again when I discovered fantasy role-
playing computer games (there aren't nearly enough of these!) I had
been "trained" to think that movies and shows and games were somehow
less than reading, but when I was able to step away from that I
could see how I was choosing to watch and play the same sorts of
things I would choose to read. >>
This is my first post, here, I think, and I really liked this point, and
wanted to add a smiliar one about writing.
I write *all* the time, in my head. I think up ideas, connect them and
organize them, but I just don't always feel the need to write them down and share
them.
I've discovered my 11yo daughter does the same thing, it's just disguised as
playing with stuffed animals. Most people interpret this as "she loves
animals and will probably grow up to be a vet." But that's not really it. She's
writing. She's creating characters. They each have their own separate
identity, she imagines what each one would say to each of the others in various
situations and settings. She thinks up plots and works out conflicts. It's all
part of the writing process, it's not all that visible unless you're looking for
it because so much of it is happening *inside* her head.
Her friends do the same thing, and recently they started having e-mail
conversations between the animals. So then it was obvious. I could see her sitting
at the computer typing up dialog in each character's particular voice and
seeing *in writing* (proof!!!) that it really is writing. But by then I didn't
really need the proof, because we've been doing this long enough for me to
learn to trust that valuable things are happening in her head, all the time, and
that each thing doesn't have to lead to something more "productive" and
"schooly-looking" to be worthwhile.
Patty
************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]