TeachingWriting
as a
Profession
By Cindy Downes
When it comes to instruc- tion in the area of lan- guage arts, homeschool parents tend to teach
what they were taught: grammar, punctuation, spelling, and the basic parts of
speech. Why? Because it’s easy: there’s a
right and wrong answer.
Instead, parents should think more
like Lucy McCormick Calkins, author of
The Art of Teaching Writing, who said,
“Teaching English, and particularly
writing, must become more like coach-
ing a sport and less like presenting in-
formation.” By definition, a coach uses
“a variety of methods, tailored to the
client, to move through the process of
setting and reaching goals.”
What are your child’s language arts
goals? If the goal is to improve his punc-
tuation or learn to write a three-point
essay, then continue to use resources
to teach those skills. If, however, your
child has mastered basic grammar, he
knows how to punctuate and capitalize
properly, and he’s able to write a high
school-level research paper, why not set
a new goal? Why not teach him to write
professionally?
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012–13 Edition, there
continues to be a demand for professional writers. The biggest demand is for online publications, in public relations, and
as freelance writers for newspapers and
magazines. In addition, writers continue
to make a living as technical writers,
scriptwriters, grant writers, songwriters,
. . . Require your student
to read in a wide variety
of genres, both fiction
and nonfiction.
and novelists. You can be the “coach” to
equip your child to succeed in whichever
area of writing appeals to him most.
Can you do this and still fulfill state
requirements? Absolutely! States simply
require that English instruction include
reading, writing, grammar, and literature.
How you teach these topics is entirely
your decision. Instead of spending time in
a language arts textbook, your child can
use a variety of methods and resources
that will not only reinforce previously
learned language arts skills but also will
teach him how to write professionally.
