The Importance of AN Ongoing Writing Education
As my son, Jacob, gets ready to embark on his high school adventure, I have found myself reflecting on the time when he was in fifth grade and listened to my advice on everything but writing because he knew “how to write." So, he thought ...
Eventually, he came to the realization that he actually didn't know how to write—even a paragraph—and gradually accepted more and more writing help from me.
There were plenty of tears and continued resistance initially, for it is not acceptable in most kids' minds to have one of their parents be one of their teachers. However, it wasn't long before Jacob not only started trusting the writing information I was sharing with him but began regularly coming to me for feedback on his school writing assignments.
When he completed his last major essay for his English class this past January, he did so without involving me in the process; I think he wanted to prove to both himself and me that he had reached a "finish line" with his writing. At first, I must admit, I was slightly hurt, but I was also relieved and nervous (his English teacher is a Stanford graduate).
After he submitted the paper, I found myself casually asking him (several times), "Did you receive a score on that paper you turned in without my help?'" It turned out that he earned 95% on it, which was a relief. However, what I found to be more of a relief was that he understands that there are more finish lines to be crossed in his writing journey, as writing assignments become more challenging with each grade level, and that continuing to cross them with the help of my writing classes outside of school "will benefit [him] in the future."
As an adolescent who is finding himself in this world, Jacob no longer listens to my advice on everything but writing; instead, he listens to my writing advice and nothing else.
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