Kids Can Write

Point of View is a difficult subject for grown ups, so why would I teach it to kids. Let's just say I love teaching kids, and I believe in them.

Kids are smart. The thing they lack is experience. I believe they can grasp any topic if you teach it right and give them a chance.

Today I taught second graders about point of view. They were really talkative on Monday, so I first had to talk about behavior. They're never to young to learn respect. It's hard to teach anything without a healthy dose of respect. Maybe some kids are born with it, and maybe some kids learn it at home, but a teacher has to insist on it. Without respect, chaos reigns, and learning suffers.

After the behavior lesson we were able to have fun learning about POV or as I prefer to call it, Voice. As kids analyze a story to find the voice, they can also tell you something about the character. What are his good qualities? What are his weaknesses? What does he want? What is he thinking? Feeling?

Kids are especially good at identifying what the character might be feeling. Kids have empathy. Nice.

I love to share my book, Grudge Rock with them, because they can identify with the feelings of the two main characters, Walker and Jake. They are really drawn in to the story as I pull rocks out of my pockets, to illustrate the story. Often they aren't sure what a grudge is at the beginning of the story, but in the end, they get it. Oh, they get it.

Kids who learn to write will have an edge on those who don't. They may never become writers, but the skill is important in education, in business, in life. I do author visits for the kids, because I want to make a difference. I do author visits for me, because it's fun.

Linda Garner