Hey Mama Monday: Does Spelling Make You Smile, Sing, and Celebrate, Mama?
Does teaching spelling make you smile, sing, and celebrate? Or does it wear you out as you shed a few tears? And just why are wear and tear spelled the same but sound so different? Seems like a lot of “wear and tear” on this old homeschool mom!
Sometimes spelling success comes through hard work over many years, and sometimes it comes naturally to your student. Some are born spellers, and some are 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 a multitude of resources available to help.
With any subject from Bible to math to language arts, what seems to work for me is a little word that does a big job in my homeschooling: consistency. Be consistent several days a week, several months a year, and these students grow up knowing how to spell well enough to live in this adult world and even succeed.
Do not be anxious about your child that needs extra help in spelling or the fact that you never feel like you have the right program or curriculum to succeed. Let that anxiety (or any anxiety) be your signal to pray, try something new, and trust the Lord. Be consistent, and enjoy those children as you keep them Home Where They Belong.
“Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7).
~Deborah
Helpful articles from back issues of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
How to Lose Those Spelling Blues! by Mary Pecci, M.Ed.
Mastering Grammar and Spelling by Nancy Doran
Is Spell Check Enough? by Dianne Craft
Get Kids to Love Vocabulary and Spelling by Glenn Dahlem, PhD
The Spelling Apologist: Why Good Spelling Is Essential and How to Select the Right Curriculum by Ellen Barski
Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor and Director of Production here at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She would say she is a very ordinary homeschool mom–with one exception: she has an extraordinary God Who provides all she needs for life and homeschooling. She has eight children aged 11 to 29. Deborah’s mission is this: to point other homeschoolers to the Lord in all they do, think, and feel—and to confirm that they, too, can find everything they need for life, godliness, and homeschooling in their knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3-4).
