If you've ever had a child who resisted learning, grumping and dragging her feet over every assignment, you'll sympathize with Andrew's experience with one of his daughters. And you will be encouraged and perhaps inspired to try something new when you read the story of what finally worked for her, sparking a lifelong love of learning.
When one of my daughters was around twelve years old, we faced a significant problem with her motivation and quality of work. Her school days went pretty much like this: She would get up, do everything on her checklist with as little effort as possible, often being “finished” by 10:00 a.m., and then spend the rest of the day snacking and annoying everyone else in the house. When confronted on the quality of her work, she would counter, “I did it—what more do you want?” When it was pointed out to her that she was “finished” in a couple of hours and that perhaps she could have a bit more added to her checklist, an ugly, hormone-enhanced argument would ensue: “I’m already doing everything I have to. More wouldn’t be fair! How come you want to make my life miserable? I’m doing enough, okay? Can’t you just leave me alone?”
Sound familiar?
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Andrew Pudewa is the founder, principal speaker, and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Presenting throughout North America, he addresses—with clarity, insight, practical experience, and welcome humor—issues relating to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students' skills. |
