The Mighty Pen

I went to another of the Positive Behavior Seminars that I've been attending for the past four months. Geez, these things really take it out of me. They're so emotional. They shouldn't be, but they are. You know that feeling after you've been crying, when you are just totally emotionally and physically drained and you really need a nap? That's how I feel every month. I don't cry (usually), but I feel like I have been.

I think the best thing to come out of all four sessions came out today. I was talking about how much Nick struggles against writing. He just shuts down at even the mention of writing his own name. And the guy said something like, "so stop making him write."

Hmm. I've been so indoctrinated to believe that Nick MUST write. When I say write, I mean penmenship, not producing prose. But guess what? After more than eight long LOOOOONG years of trying to get him to write, his writing has not improved at all since he learned to write when he was five. And because so much time is spent on trying to force him to physically write with a pen, the grammar and semantics that he could be learning in other ways has been overlooked. So, for now, no more writing. I'm going to look into a dictation program for him, and in the mean time he can type.

I'm working at the high school tomorrow. If I can manage to keep Friday free, I'm going to write. I miss it.