Friday, July 11, 2008

SWR Training- I'm getting it...

This last week has been a crazy whirlwind week for me. Next year at Oak Grove we are implementing the curriculum, Spell to Write and Read (SWR). I first learned about this curriculum from a friend after I finished homeschooling Caitlyn in Kindergarten. I remember thinking that it was a very organized and superior method to the one I had been using. I thought that I could teach her to spell later. I was more concerned about getting her to read comfortably and "fast". While I did successfully teach her to read, I've had to go back a little bit this last year to get her comfortable with her phonograms. I've been using SWR all year, but have felt that I've been doing it "wrong". The Lord in His graciousness, has blessed even my feeble attempts at this program. I recently tested Caitlyn and found that she was testing at 2.4 level. It wasn't as high as I was wanting, but very satisfactory considering we just finished first grade.

I admit that it is an overwhelming curriculum at first glance. After this seminar, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the philosophy of SWR and how to implement it.

So, with the start of Oak Grove we decided that we needed to hire a certified SWR trainer to come out and train all of us; teachers and co-teachers. This is where the craziness of the last week has come in. I've been running errands, making copies, sending e-mails, gathering materials, trying to track payments of those attending, cleaning in my house (the trainer is staying with me), put together packets for the parents and attend the seminar myself. In addition, I'm nursing Gracie so I get called out of the seminar every 3 hours or so to run home to feed her. I'm exhaused. But, at the same time I'm rejuevenated with enthusiasm for SWR.

I hope and pray that the parents and teachers at Oak Grove will see the long term vision here. It's hard! It takes some serious commitment on everyone's part, but I think the results will be worth it. I predict that if we stick to this program, we will have students who not only know how to read fluently (which is really the easy part), but will also know how to spell (the harder part) well beyond their years.

Isn't this part of the goal of classical education? We want to produce students who not only know "how" to think, but who also know how to communicate what they think, clearly and persuasively. How do we do that? We teach them language. I firmly believe that SWR will be one of those tools in our toolboxes of learning that will help us accomplish that goal.

As we seek to do this, may God get the glory!