Posted by Janice in NJ on 17:48 Jan 14
In Reply to: Janice in NJ, question for you ... posted by Kim in MO
Ahhhh..... that's the trouble with posting on this board. Folks keep you accountable for what you say. :-)
Actually, your comment is a tough one for me to deal with right now. I've been struggling with this "issue" now for a couple of weeks and things are starting to esculate in my head. It's like there is a scratching down deep that can be ignored for only so long.
Gosh! This is why I usually feel SO inadequate about offering advice on this board, in person, or anywhere else. (I suppose that you wouldn't be able to tell that from all of the gum-flapping that I've been doing lately. huh?) I love CW. There, I said it. I love it. I think that the authors are incredibly insightful; I think that the materials are absolutely outstanding. I have the full confidence that CW will take my kids EVERYwhere that they will ever need to go as far as writing is concerned. I REALLY believe this. I think that Tracy and Lene are THAT good. I also think that the program lays such a strong foundation and leaves almost NO stone unturned. I truly believe that a student who works through everything they offer will emerge as an outstanding worksmith. There is not ONE ounce of me that doubts it.
But there's the rub. The program is thorough, and as a result it takes more - more from me and more from my kids. The authors have done a terrific job of laying it all out there. I don't think I have one quibble with the program.
But (OK - here goes, the big "but") I've been in an absolute panic about writing for the past four months BECAUSE MY SON IS GOING TO BE A NINTH GRADER NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!! SOMEONE STOP THIS TRAIN SO I CAN BREATH FOR 10 SECONDS!!!!!!!!
So far my prayer has gone unanswered. The train is still screaming along - in fact, it seems to be going faster.
So, there you have it. I'm weak. :-) Really weak. I don't know why I'm so nervous about "9th grade". I've thought it all through. I've mentally placed myself there on that day. The first day of ninth grade isn't going to look ANY different than any other school day. I'm sure of it - except that I might be hyperventilating. No biggie; I'm sure my kids will just toss me a paper bag and go back to making a breakfast mess in the kitchen and arguing over something inconsequential. Anyway - I guess I've really just sculpted in to some big, scary lie. Actually - it looks kind of dumb now that I've taken the time to say it. Lies are like that I guess.
So, there it is.... I've caved to the panic.
When we began 8th grade, my son could write a nice narrative piece. THANK YOU CW HOMER!! However, he couldn't write a descriptive essay, a compare-contrast essay, a ___________ essay, a literary analysis .......... sheesh - the list goes on.
I had spent some time with Diogenes during the summer, and I was SO psyched to start it. I could NOT wait. We did the first several weeks of lessons; they were very, very good, but I just kept thinking .... he should be writing an ESSAY in history and an ESSAY in literature and an ESSAY in science every week or every two weeks or what ever the "supposed to be" time frame is. We should be doing that in addition to working our way through a writing program. We weren't. He couldn't write a good essay, and honestly I still wasn't really clear about which ingredients went INTO an essay. We had started Diogenes and I was confident that Lene and Tracy were going to get me there; I knew that they were. But I panicked.
Panic - a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons
Yup. Irrational, I know. Hopefully it won't spread to anyone else..... boy, I would hate for that to happen.
But I dropped Diogenes and began my search again for the perfect writing program. I decided that I didn't have time to do the progym with my oldest. I concluded that I needed a fast way - a cut to the chase way to teach essay writing. In some ways, that's exactly what *I* needed. I've found some good materials; they've answered a lot of questions for me! I think that I will probably end up being a better writing teacher as a result of finding these materials (Writing Aids was definitely one of them. I have just really been able to connect with the way they lay out the "goals" for each assignment. All of those different forms are starting to make more sense. I have also received some great info and techniques from the Put That in Writing series as well.) HOWEVER .... and this is the BIG mama's-missed-the-boat-here-confession-time. My kids haven't been writing NEARLY enough in the meantime. I'm too busy trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be teaching.
So now I have to decide what to do. I'm SO drawn back to the CW books ... even though we are now FOUR MORE months behind. Can you tell how discouraged I am? Now that I have found these other materials, we could actually work toward writing those content/subject essays WHILE working through a writing program like CW. Cool. Right? Wrong. I feel so discouraged that I have missed more educational opportunities for the past few months. My kids are getting older. I have GOT TO stop doubting myself and JUST teach what I have. I'm starting to really get angry with myself and my weaknesses. I guess I'm just discouraged too.
Boy, I sure wish someone could jump through the screen and kiss it and make it better. SO do I try to do both or should I just plow ahead with my oldest and teach the forms of writing that he needs in order to get into and be successful in college? AND then what about my other two? They have plenty of time to do both if I would just carve out the time. But I've been round and round on this carnival ride long enough to know that I HAVE to take something out of the basket if I'm going to put something into it, but I'm paralized. They each have such great things that they are doing!!!! And it hasn't been writing!!!! Sure they've been writing summaries and outlines and simple reports. But they have not improved or notched up their writing abilities. We've basically marched in place for the last few months. Help!!!!!
Honestly, Kim? I've been flipping this one over and over in my mind for about a month. I have to choose, I know. I just don't know if I can emotionally deal with any more false starts. I've got to nail this writing thing down to the floor AND leave it there. I guess I'm just not sure that I can have what I want. AND I have to take my kids into consideration too. They can't be all things.
A final comment: I've taken the time to re-read what I have written and I don't want to be misunderstood. I do not think any writing program is better than another one. I don't think that there is a really good writing program and there is a oh-and-by-the-way-if-you-lack (the knowledge, the money, or the time) you-could-use-this-instead writing program. I think that there are kids. And moms. They go into the bowl first and then you add the perfect writing program. Different people = different perfect programs and different we-settled-for-this-instead programs. (Which I'm discovering isn't such a bad idea. Even if they settle on their personal second-best, the mom and the kids get to move on. LOL)
I'm just having a really tough time navigating the #1 and the we-settled line for my kids - even if OUR we-settled choice is the absolute BEST thing. I'm fully open to the notion that it might be.
I want my MOMMY! (Can you tell that there is also a WHOLE lot more going on in my head and my days than this?)
Could someone here please just send me a fax from my future-self and tell me what to do? :-)
Enjoy your little people.
Enjoy your journey