What Makes Sense?

This article was featured in our weekly newsletter, the Liberator Online. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here. Editors Note: If not for homeschooling, BA would most likely not get the individualized attention that he needs in a regular, public school. BA (9) is on a quest for full-on literacy: reading, writing, spelling, grammar, vocabulary. He won’t get there like YS (14) did. He’s been trying that way around for almost five years now. He’s constantly working on sequencing, motor planning, working memory, motor coordination, timing, pacing, and all the procedural learning strengthening activities he can juggle. All day long. Crossing the mid-line, agility ladder, strengthening his core and upper body, piano for finger strength, writing over top of my writing to get the motions into his muscles, metronome work with large muscles and singing and reading. Drilling letter pairs, faster, faster, faster. We’re seeing changes in a lot of areas. But not in writing. We’re using a lovely font that worked beautifully for our older son and me. BA has been at it for two relentless months. No change. None. He still writes bottom to top, his curves and connections are still highly problematic. He has to use too much of his attention creating the letters to focus on anything else. He can’t take notes this way. He can’t write a paper this way. He can’t write a letter this way. Me: Do you think the writing is working? BA: No. It’s not any easier. Me: (Showing him an impromptu drafting-style lettering.) What about this? BA: (Immediate relief in his voice.) That looks much easier. That’s how I would write. Look, see? (Writes me his alphabet.) That’s how I want to make letters. The other way doesn’t make sense. Me: We’re not going to do the other way again. We’re going to use letters that look like this. Upper case will be big and lower case will be small. And that. Is that.