Boys.
And Writing.
I have tried several curriculums over the years, most recently Jump in Writing, which I love and am keeping for the future. But he's so resistant.
About two weeks ago we were finishing up the unit on the 13 colonies in Simple Schooling American History and the assignment (which I wrote, mind you) asks for a report on their favorite colony.
So he picks Georgia.
And sits there.
And moans.
And whines and complains and makes a nasty comment or two about how stupid this is and how he will NEVER ever need to write in HIS career and finally cries.
LOL. I was like, you've got to be kidding me? I asked for 500 words on the colony of Georgia not a dissertation with footnotes.
So I get it together and say, OK I'll help you. We brainstorm all the things we can say about Colonial Georgia. We've got it all on the board in bullet points. Alll he has to do is turn them into sentences.
He freaks out. Finally, after about 2 hours he manages 150 words.
I declare success and let him read.
This was an eye-opener for me. The kid shuts down when he has to write. So I did what all homeschool moms do - I go to the computer and search for the "perfect curriculum" to make it all better. I find Writing Strands and order it in a hurry. 2 day shipping even.
It arrived last week and we got started right away. By day 3 he says "I think this is actually helping me."
Praise the Lord and I'll give ya big Amen.
My son will write.
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2 comments:
So true! I am not a homeschooler, but I have lots of friends and some family who do homeschool and I've heard from most of them that getting the boys to write is just about impossible! Glad you found something that is working.
Wow, does this ring a bell. Go to www.homeschoolwriter1.com, click on Articles then on This One is for the Guys. Too bad so many people still think ALL boys are supposed to be math gurus and ALL girls are supposed to be language people. I know boys and girls who dont' fit that sterotyping at all! We're all different, so very different, and it's too bad people keep crowding us into little boxes. The book at that site above has a story, "Who Needs This Stuff," about how important good writing will be when the student graduates and looks for a job. Nurse, police officer, or college professor, we all have to write to make our thoughts known, whether we're a boy or a girl.
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