Attitude Reflecton

It's not surprising when homeschool children come to me with weak writing and grammar skills. I'm not saying this because I am cynical about homeschool parents and their ability to teach. Writing is just one of those areas that intimidates many parents and students. I feel the same way about Geometry! Just a few of the reasons why this situation is so common include:
1. Parents don't feel confident teaching about writing. This can result in a parent who simply doesn't teach writing or focuses entirely on grammar because there are workbooks for those skills.
2. Parents don't feel comfortable evaluating their children's writing assignments. In this case, the parents usually give writing assignments, but since they're not graded or evaluated properly, the children don't grow as writers. I receive many emails from some pretty wonderful moms who are stressed out about the writing assignments piling up because they're too intimidated to grade them.
3. Parents attempt to teach writing, but the children's attitudes keep progress from being made. This often occurs when parents express their dislike for writing which gives their children permission to feel the same way. It may be that the parent had a negative experience in the past or never really learned to write well, so the idea is just uncomfortable.
4. Parents work hard to teach and evaluate their children's writing, and they still seem to be lacking in skills. This can happen with any subject. The child may not be developmentally ready to learn how to write (I don't recommend formal writing education until at least 3rd grade). Sometimes children just don't retain what has been taught to them, particularly if they're not interested or not really ready. Even with my high school students, I remind them continually that "learning to learn" is as important as learning and practice skills. I tell them that they are cheating themselves out of an education is they only learn things for the immediate. 

Of each of these scenarios, the most difficult for me to overcome with a student is #3. A lack of knowledge is so much easier to combat than a negative attitude. I call this "Attitude Reflection," which tells you how often I see it. :) I even have a name for it! So, if you really abhor writing, how can you prevent your attitude from being reflected by your child?

• Honesty may not always be the best policy...sometimes not sharing is more helpful. While I am all about being honest with a child, if the honesty doesn't positively affect the child, then what's the point? Is it beneficial for your child to know you despise writing? If you didn't enjoy writing as a child, but can discuss the value of it in your life today, that's a different story. You can express how important writing skills are rather than focusing on how you feel about them personally.
• Evaluate your child's writing in a timely manner. If you put off grading your children's writing, they may assume that it's not important. They probably aren't thinking that math is easier to grade or that you don't  have the energy at the end of the day to edit your children's written work - they just see it still sitting there on the desk. If you don't feel you can evaluate your children's writing, consider using CBB evaluation services. Either way, if you're not going to grade the assignment, it's probably better not to assign the work.
• Model writing as a life skill. Most of us email, text and write in other life situations. If you keep a prayer journal or participate in a Bible study, you're writing. If you create a Christmas letter, you're writing. When you find yourself writing, even if you don't enjoy it, point out to your children how you're using this important tool and why it's so important to be a writer in life.
• Treat writing like driving a car. Most of us can't imagine our children never driving, not using a computer, not having a job or being unable to verbally communicate. Writing is an invaluable life skill. Without this skill, imagine all of the different things that wouldn't exist in our world. It's amazing how many people will put their child in piano, dance or sports, requiring extensive rehearsal and practice. Yet, writing is viewed as a subject in school rather than a life skill.

Still unsure about how to create writers when you don't really enjoy it yourself? Check out my article, How to Grow a Successful Writer, on the CBB website. Just remember that your attitude tremendously affects your children's attitudes. As a teacher, I see the reflections whether they're positive, negative or as in most cases, somewhere in between.

God bless your new year!