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Greetings!

Deborah Wuehler and family

Ever had a good reader who was a bad speller? Yes, I have, too! We read good books and have a good spelling curriculum--and they still struggle.

I have homeschooled for so many years, and I still don't know if I am doing spelling right. What I have found is that no matter how wonderful the spelling program, each child I apply it to is very different. I have several natural spellers and a couple of children that just don't get spelling, but they excel in other areas such as creativity, art, and music.  

Success comes with the way they are created. Some are created natural spellers, and some are created naturally gifted at other things. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that you can cater to each child's ability or developmental levels. If they need extra help in spelling, we have the time and most likely the resources to help.  

What seems to work for me is a little word that does a big job in my home: consistency. A little here, a little there, five days a week, every month of every year, and they grow up knowing how to spell anywhere from fairly well to decent to excellent, depending on how they are made.  

If you have a struggling learner of any kind, please visit Dianne Craft's website and you will also learn about those right-brained spellers. She has some amazing tips to share with you there.

Here's praying that you are not stressing over a child needing extra help in spelling. Stress should be your signal to rest, pray, and find other helps. Be consistent, and enjoy those children as you keep them Home Where They Belong!

A very Merry and Blessed Christmas to you and your precious family! Don't forget to take advantage of our Christmas gift to you--the Cranberry Christmas E-Book! Just request it by emailing Gena Suarez at: Publisher@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com. And, if you missed our December EXPO, you can find all the wonderful holiday recipes from our TOS Staff right here.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Annie J. Flint 1866-1932 "He Giveth More Grace"

~Deborah

TOS Senior Editor

SeniorEditor@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com  

Diana Waring

Relational Homeschooling

www.DianaWaring.com 

Dear Friends,

This week's topic is one that will bring out opinions from even the mildest-mannered person. And if we grouped these opinions, they would probably fall into two categories:

1. All students will become good spellers if the right technique is used;
2. Not all students will become good spellers, regardless of the technique used.

Since these two opinions are mutually exclusive, what are we supposed to do? And how do we provide opportunities for every student to learn to spell without laying crushing, impossible burdens on any?

Well, maybe it would be helpful to share a few of my own experiences, and, together, see if we can find a pathway--through all the opinions--to spelling success.

Ok. First experience. My friend was the highly intelligent, well-educated daughter of two university professors. She had also, before homeschooling her own children, taught at a wonderful Christian school in Seattle. Impressed? I certainly was, and it was from her that I learned some of my earliest lessons about education and children. Well, one day, as I walked into her house, she announced to me, "Diana, did you know that spelling is not a matter of intelligence? There are some very intelligent people who are not good spellers!" Not knowing what was motivating this pronouncement, and being an excellent speller myself, I asked, "Do you have difficulty with spelling?" She affirmed that this was the case.

Honestly, I was shocked. Having never considered the mechanics of spelling before, I naively assumed that being a good speller was merely a matter of study.  

On to the second experience. When my middle child learned to read, he was a voracious and extraordinarily motivated reader. However, he didn't become proficient--fluent--in reading until he was ten. So, his spelling lagged far behind the norm for his age. It was a fairly significant source of struggle for him, because it was humiliating to not be able to spell the words he was eminently capable of using.

At a homeschool convention during this time, I met up with an old friend, Wanda Sanseri. When I shared this particular struggle with her, she suggested that I try her program, which is now called Spell to Write and Read. Within six months of working about five minutes per day, my son came up to grade level in spelling! (We also recommend Denise Eide's Uncovering the Logic of English.)

That was about two decades ago. He is now in Navy flight school, learning to fly helicopters. But, just as my own friend had discovered about herself, spelling is still not my son's strength.

And that, dear friends, is the point. Some are naturally gifted, others aren't. Don't demand perfection, and don't neglect opportunities. It's not an easy path to trod in our homeschooling culture, but one well worth finding for the sake of your beloved children.

Stay relational,

Diana

P.S. Merry Christmas to you all!

Raising Real Men

www.RaisingRealMen.com  

Hal & Melanie Young

When your good reader is a bad speller . . . it isn't easy! Here are a few things we've learned along the way:

Spelling is one of those things that some are naturally good at and others aren't. The two of us are both natural spellers-we just know when something isn't spelled right because it looks wrong to us. Some of our children are the same way; they've hardly misspelled a word in their lives! Others of our children struggle with spelling simple words even into high school. It's easy for natural spellers to think spelling well is a sign of intelligence, but it's not. Hal's mom has a master's degree, is a fantastic artist, and respected by everyone, but spelling isn't her strength. It's okay. Remind the good spellers in your family that they've received a gift from God, to be thankful for it, and comfort the bad spellers that it has nothing to do with how smart they are.

Remember that writing and spelling are two different things. Worry about misspelling can cause some to avoid writing at all, if possible. Allowing your child to dictate writing assignments can free them up to create. One of our friends is an accomplished author that God has really used, but she's also dyslexic and still struggles with spelling. Let your children know that when they're writing, spelling doesn't count-that's what revisions are for.

Get a really adjustable spelling program. You want one that allows you to study whatever it is your children need to study and not just typical 3rd or 5th grade words. We've used Spelling Power, which requires some thought to use, but focuses on learning just the trouble words.

Make the words "stickier" in their memory. We learned this technique from Dianne Craft. When your children misspell a word, use a whole piece of paper or cardstock and write the word really big. Use colors and write the problem letters in a different color. Turn it into a picture. Do something that makes it a graphic in their minds. That'll help them store it in the correct part of the brain for easy connection to the sound. It's amazing how well this works.

Reassure your child (and yourself!) that lots and lots of successful people struggle with spelling. It's just one of those things you have to learn to cope with--and it's going to be alright!

As Christmas approaches this week, we pray that you will have peace and joy in your home and that all your celebration will glorify our Savior and draw your family closer to Him!

Merry Christmas!

Hal & Melanie

P.S. Need unforgettable gifts for your boys? How about a Rubber Band Machine Gun? Check out our Merry Christmas Shop and get $10 Flat Rate Priority Shipping til Thursday night!

Hoping to hear us speak? In January, we'll be in Anaheim, CA, for the Exploring Homeschooling Conference, as well as starting our next online interactive series of Boot Camp 9-12, for parents of 9 to 12-year-old boys and Marriage Retreat Online, for a relationship pick-me-up that doesn't need a sitter! 

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