the next step. I can’t tell you the number of
times I’ve sat at my desk praying to the Lord
for wisdom, guidance, and advice. And now
I’m so happy to return to my first love—
teaching literature through our new
Illuminating Literature series.
TOS: What is your favorite part of creating homeschool materials?
Sharon: I love to see the change in a student’s face when the light bulb turns on,
and I love to learn how our courses have
lifted real weights from the shoulders of
homeschool moms.
TOS: When did you discover your love of
writing?
Sharon: I’ve been in love with stories
all of my life. In fact, when I moved to a
new town in second grade, I took my little Dick and Jane reader with me because
I loved their world and wanted to know
what would happen next. (I still have
that book!) Even today, a well-written
story nourishes me. I don’t know as I love
to write. It’s more that I love to teach the
things that inspire me.
TOS: What is the hardest part of writing?
Sharon: At the beginning of a new project or course, I can get pretty overwhelmed
with everything that needs to be written, so
I actually do what I encourage my students
to do: brainstorm and then organize my
material. That way, I develop a solid overview of the project and don’t have to begin
at the first page; I can begin wherever I’m
the most comfortable.
TOS: What is it about writing you love
most?
Sharon: I love finding just the right word
or example for the concept I’m teaching. It’s
like a game to me, and I love playing it.
And, I love to proofread.
TOS: What encouragement or tips would
you share with a parent of a struggling
writer?
Sharon: My second son hated to write.
Not only was his handwriting miserable,
but he hated trying to put his very creative
thoughts on paper. Fast forward seven
years: he has moved far away and has sent
me a letter. His handwriting is still miserable, but I don’t care. It is a letter to me, and
I open it eagerly. It is newsy. It says nice
things. It is from my son whom I dearly
miss. This is more important to me than
any supposed deficiencies.
Teaching struggling writers is no picnic.
They know how to resist. I’ve had students
come to my classes that refuse to write for
their moms. But I have two secret weap-
ons that loosen them up: humor and baby
steps. Try doing some fun exercises that
do not require a full paragraph or essay at
the end. This makes the idea of writing less
threatening. For instance, your writer could
brainstorm on a huge whiteboard or on lit-
tle sticky notes. The topic can be anything
fun or that he or she has strong feelings
about. Find reasons why your writer may be
struggling, along with some solutions, here:
writingwithsharonwatson.com/how-to-
overcome-a-reluctant-writers-resistance/.
TOS: Thank you Sharon for talking with
us today and for everything you do to help
students and parents succeed.
Bonnie Rose Hudson works as the Executive Editor of Schoolhouse Teachers.com, the
curriculum site of The Old Schoolhouse®
Magazine. Her heart’s desire is for every
child to feel the love of God and know how
special they are to Him. She would love for
you to stop by her author’s blog WriteBon
nieRose.com for resources to help teach your
children about missions and the persecuted
Church, free history and writing printables,
and to discover how you can write for the
homeschool market.
Sharon Watson enjoys giving students the
tools they need to become successful communicators through writing, and she delights in
revealing both the beauties and hidden traps
in literature. Using humor and a welcoming
tone, she invites students into the subject mat-ter. Jump In, her popular middle school writing course published by Apologia Press, is one
of Cathy Duffy’s
102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. Sharon and her husband
Terry homeschooled for 18 years and now
have three adult children and two delightful
granddaughters. The Watsons live in northern Indiana, where Sharon loves to watch her
husband coach and play in the church softball league. You’ll find her engaging curricula
at WritingWithSharonWatson.com.
Achievement,
Cognitive
& Practice Te1ts
o7Pec1al1zing 1n national standardized achievement tests
i'owA �
TerraNova
Woo�
Johnson:rv
The Iowa Assessments (paper and online*)
The Iowa Tests
Stanford 1 O (paper and online)
TerraNova- California Achievement Test
(formerJy CAT test- Complete and Survey)
BASI
CogAT ��
Brigance
Woodcock-Johnson IV
CogAT
OLSAT
Interest Explorer
"Practice Tests for Iowa,
TerraNova/California, CogAT,
OLSAT, CLEP
•1nourte,tlngofflce
Some restrictions apply• Group discounts available
Triangle Education Assessments, LLC
5512 Merion Station Dr, Apex, NC 27539
Phone:919.387.7004 • orders@triangleed.com
Tollfree: 1.877.843.8837
orfax order: 1.888.416.1495
I have two secret
weapons that loosen
them up: humor and
baby steps.
