Writing is a Lifelong Habit
“Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.”
~Author Unknown
Ask a room full of people to write and you will find the span of sudden feelings ranging from the joy of creation to the fear of challenge. For Sean and I it is a wonderful opportunity to both write and teach people of all ages the thrill of communicating ideas with the written word.
My favorite group to teach is the young writer. A lot of what a student learns about writing results from their independent curiosity, purpose in school, and discovering/borrowing strategies from professional writers (whether they know it or not).
Our family celebrates the art of writing with tools to convey meaning in every corner of our home. We embrace every opportunity to read great literature aloud to our children, several times throughout the day and without fail before bedtime. We are confident our children are internalizing the fundamental strategies of language that our favorite author’s deliver, as we model what good writers look like by our profession and daily habits.
Many of us count on our teachers to deliver writing content to our children through instruction that explicitly teaches, demonstrates and develops quality writing within a range of genres with proficiency.
GULP! But Writer Mom, what if this is not happening in my child’s school?
Whether your child attends private or public education, the non-negotiable task of the teacher is to develop a writing program that is comprehensive, consistent and clear in its process.
This writing process starts when your child enters the world. Language, reading out loud, and playing with speech through rhyme, rhythm and repetition are all part of the recipe for a budding and beautiful mind. Young children are naturally curious and haven’t learned to feel inhibited or experience failure. They are often keen to try anything or accept any sort of modeling as long as it is delivered in a developmentally appropriate manner.
This group is my top favorite to teach next to 4th graders.
Writing from the heart with 4th graders is a joy and challenge. 4th grade is the year when the rubber and the road meet. It is by 4th grade that the years of modeling, explicit instruction, and solid reading comprehension skills are firmly set in place. If every teacher in the chain of writing (from early learning to 4th grade) has built upon the process we can then move forward, diving deeper into creativity.
We want our students to feel empowered by language, and able to express themselves through writing, visuals, music, or theater. The bottom line is that if children can’t write proficiently, they haven’t yet completed the communication loop of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Writing is a synthesis of the language process.
So what to do if you aren’t happy with your school’s writing program?
TAKE ACTION AND ASK QUESTIONS.
- What is the school’s writing program?
- What content is taught and expected at each grade level?
- What assessments are used to validate the delivery of content and curriculum?
- What kind of rubric are teachers using to evaluate a student’s piece of writing?
- How often and how many minutes a day does a teacher devote to writing?
- How many minutes does your child write per day?
- Does your school offer a workshop for parents to help support writing at home?
Children write the future and we must never take today for granted.
Take the time to find out if your school is implementing a writing program that will empower your child to become a prepared 21st Century learner. Share your experiences about how you learned to write and how your child is leanring how to write in school today. Whatever the conclusion, we must take steps needed steps to empower our youth.
Children write the future. Do you feel proud about what they are going to say?
