I live with a very loud cat named Daisy. My daughters adore her, but since they have all grown up, it’s often just me and Daisy (and her loud meowing) at home. The pitch of her meow is exactly the right “test my patience” timber. At yet, her meow is always telling me something.
Sometimes in our classrooms, Emily and I hear the human equivalent of this sound to the tune of:
“I don’t know what to write.”
It can feel frustrating. But like Daisy’s meowing, it really is a call for help.
Are you familiar with this cry, too?
Here are two (surprising) ways you can respond:
1. DO LESS THAN YOU THINK
Say:
“I know you’re going to figure it out.”
“I know you’re going to figure it out.”
And then, step back.
Tomorrow, put writing time back on your schedule–and then the day after that and the day after that. Just keep it consistent.
When you keep writing happening on the regular, your kids start thinking about it during the “off hours”– in the car, walking the dog, before bed.
Eventually, you’ll hear:
“Oh! I know what I’m going to write about tomorrow.”
“Oh! I know what I’m going to write about tomorrow.”
And momentum starts to build.
Eventually, you’ll see you were right all along . . . because they did figure it out!
(Talk to us more about this if this seems hard to believe!)
2. TAKE THE PENCIL AWAY
Say:
“Just tell me about it.”
“Just tell me about it.”
Let them talk while you write it down.
Then read it back to them… and be done for the day.
Sometimes kids get stuck because they think writing has to sound “fancy” or “smart.”
But when they realize they can write the way they speak?
Everything starts to shift. (We’ve done this many many many times!)
Everything starts to shift. (We’ve done this many many many times!)
SO, WHICH APPROACH IS RIGHT?
Honestly, it depends.
On your child.
On the day.
On the day.
On the project.
On how much sleep everyone had last night.
On how much sleep everyone had last night.
But these two approaches make “I don’t know what to write” easier to work through for everyone!
YOU’RE DOING IMPORTANT WORK!
