“Children should spend more time writing. Opportunities to write more than a sentence or two are infrequent in most American elementary school classrooms. As well as being valuable in its own right, writing promotes ability in reading.”
~ Exerpt: Becoming a Nation of Readers
Sean and I teach a Writer’s Workshop for 4th Graders at Mia‘s school each week as part of our volunteered hours. Time is the greatest philanthropic gift to our school, and even at its most scarce we are always happy to give it.
Attitudinally, our group of 30 writers ranged from enthusiastic to aw man, we have to write? We started our first class with reasons why writing is important, Sean and I moving the entire class through the writing process from brainstorm to final edit.
- Writing is critical thinking.
- Writing is a tool for learning.
- Writing benefits reading.
- Writing applies language skills.
- Writing is communication.
- Writing encourages discovery.
- Writing reveals the writer.
- Writing is fun.
Why Teach Writing?
Writing IS fun. Working with Writer Dad is a joy because he turns writing into recreation. He’s hilarious, loving, quick witted, smart all the way to infinity and beyond, the best father you could ever imagine, and yes an amazing writer. No doubt, no diggity.
Starting a blog is writing personified. Think about it: when you write a post you are embracing the writing process. Pre-write on a napkin at the stop light on the way to pick up the children, first draft in your mind as you’re driving, sloppy copy in your notebook digital or spiral, revise, edit and hit publish.
Yes, children, writing is fun and let us show you why and how. The response from our parents has been overwhelming. Some admitted their child did not want to come to the workshop. We were shocked when parents confessed. Some of the students that dreaded the idea of writing the most have now taken the ball and are ready to swish it through the net.
We got them where we wanted. Writing is fun. We will continue to work with this group until the end of the year. We have invested in their abilities and they have become attached to the positive rapport, consistent encouragement to continue writing, and now best part …publishing their efforts on the school website. Nothing builds traffic to a school website more than, “Look what my baby did!”
Cindy Platt is an educational consultant and home school expert.
