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Thursday, March 08, 2007"Hey, Can We Do Grammar Today?"No, I'm serious. That's a verbatim quote from fourteen-year-old Jonathan. I'm still in shock. Let me explain. I've set up our schedule so that we do grammar lessons three days a week, Monday-Wednesday-Friday. That means that today -- Thursday -- is a grammar-less day, a day of great freedom and rejoicing in the lives of certain Boehme offspring. But this morning Jonathan accosted me in the hallway and said, "Hey, can we do grammar today instead of tomorrow?'' And in his eyes I saw -- enthusiasm. A twinkle, even. And then I knew. It was because yesterday's lesson was a writing lesson -- a lesson on descriptive sentences and paragraphs. And Jonathan prides himself on his ability to impress me -- and make me laugh -- with his writing. He didn't want to wait another whole day to show me his assignment. So he asked for a grammar lesson. I dropped everything and sat down with the kid immediately. I mean, what semi-sane homeschooling mother would do otherwise? The beauty of this is that I'm a writer. And my teenaged son enjoys creative writing. Does it get any better than this? Well, yes, I'm sure it does. He's a pain in the butt when it comes to other subjects, like Latin and Algebra. (Fortunately, I don't have to be directly involved in either, since he uses computer software for both.) I'd love to see this kind of enthusiasm across the board. But we're not wired that way, are we? We come to life when our passions are stoked. And oh! to think that my son's passion is stoked by the thought of writing. Writing! Mind you, Jonathan's writing is a bit -- avant-garde. Okay, it's downright weird sometimes. But he's the only person I know who can take a ridiculous, nonsensical topic and create a well-constructed sentence: The starship crashed into the lively skyscraper, which was gaping in the breeze. Although it was midday, the stupid rooster kept squawking and coughing his ugly sunrise song. When the spines from the rather unlucky stickleback penetrate his throat, anti-puncture force fields are immediately placed into effect. One day, while the summer breezes were toasting the June bugs, a fine, dandy chap came trotting down the old path. To add even more fun to the experience, Jonathan enjoys writing the opposite answers for his review exercises. It's his way of saying, "This is easy, I get it already." And I, being a savvy, quick-witted mom, keep pace with him by reversing the answers in my head, telling myself that "wrong" means "right." I am the only person on the planet who could teach grammar to this boy. At least he keeps me on my toes. And reminds me that learning is more fun when we allow our creativity -- and sense of humor -- to take flight. And keeps me humble. And he's cute, too. That counts for something on the bad days. And he knows it. Labels: homeschooling, writing |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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2of my readers are feeling chatty:
I used to write stuff like that. I suppose its part of being a boy.
It really is good imagination exercise though. It gets those creative juices a flowing. It takes work to be that strange.
I love how he writes...
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