Someone recently asked me about my writing philosophy. Writing, as in the process to teach my son how to write everything from a quality sentence to a properly cited eloquent essay. The truth is, I don't know. It's kind of the David and Goliath of our schooling right now. I'm not even sure who is David and who is Goliath. I'm pretty sure I am Goliath standing there in all my armor waiting for that one simple answer, like a rock, to smack me in the head and take me down. When he was younger, it was easier. Writing was important, but there was a greater emphasis on learning how to think. Believe me that is still there and I am amazed at some of the ways my son can put together a thought. However, I realize that when he jaunts off to college the professors are not going to want to listen to him give oral essays, they don't have time for that.
Having one child and homeschooling one child has its perks. You can truly tailor the education to that one child because that is your only student. You can listen to them expound upon the wisdom of ______(whatever) and take the time to do it. You can modify, tweak a program or even write your own with that ONE student in mind. So when I think about MY writing philosophy it's really asking what is the philosophy which is best for my son.
I'd love to pick up an already existing program and use it verbatim, but my son is not wired that way. Now if he were one of five students, or seven of nine (just had to throw in that Star Trek reference) it might be different. He has no issue telling me stories or thinking of things to say, but when I would tell him to put it down on paper I'd get a blank stare. When this first happened a few years ago I was stunned. I don't remember learning to write, I just always have. I don't say I can write well, but I knew how to do an assignment. Back in the dark ages when we had to hand write reports my teachers loved me. I had one report admitted to our school library when I was in ninth grade. Got and A+ and 50 extra bonus points, the maximum. I still have that report. I had another report in high school on knights that earned me an A+ and a bunch of extra bonus points because I enclosed a bunch of drawings. Still have that one too. Read parts of it to Z last year when we studied the Middle Ages. So getting a blank stare from my son who was so willing to be creative in an oral capacity was not planned.
Fast forward to middle school and now the writing seems so serious. I've read many different writing philosophies, I see merit in all of them. They are the experts, not me. But I am the expert on my son and as he grows in his writing ability it doesn't always grow according to the philosophy of Provider X. I'm not going to name all the providers I've looked at or used, most of them have been great programs, just not the right one for us at this particular time.
Maybe my philosophy is that I want my son to learn how to think and along with that put his thoughts down on paper. Somewhere along the way we'll learn to format correctly, how to cite sources, how to use good grammar, strong sentences, analyze some literature, properly document a science report, and how to research. Amidst the programs I already own I'm sure I can pluck out those pieces.
In the last week I've asked a lot of questions from those with more experience than me. I've received some wonderful responses, responses which I am pondering. I'm reviewing the programs I already own to see how they can serve us. I wish we had the budget to buy some of these programs to preview and absorb, but that would probably only confuse me more. Fortunately I know what we're doing for the remainder of this year. I have a vague idea of where we need to be when he graduates high school and I'm willing to do what it takes to get him there.
I guess the key is when that David, the one little program with the right idea, swings that rock, you know like a V8 moment, I shouldn't duck.
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