A Poem is Born

It’s Friday.

This is “The Big Day”

The day that #3 child reviews the weeks four 10 minute writing prompts, and decides which one she wants to expand upon, edit, proofread and hand in to me to get a grade.

She chose the one that had taken the least effort, of course. “Write a poem about your favourite season”.

The other “plunges” had been a challenge, to say the least. For her the challenge had been to grasp what she was being asked to do. The challenge for me was to try and explain it so she understood and, at the same time, refrain from tearing my hair out and bashing a hole in the wall. I think on Wednesday I almost had blood oozing from my eyeballs. It is SO hard sometimes to be understanding, sympathetic and encouraging when all you really want to do is grab her by the throat and scream in her face “WHY CAN’T YOU GET IT??!!” 

I sort of understand where she is coming from. 

One of the prompts was “Choose a game. Write instructions on how to play it”

One problem we are facing is that she really does not want to do this.

So first off, she is angry and resentful.

This does not bode well for a successful completion of the set task.

And then we have the added problem of how she learns.

Because of her autism, she sees everything in literal terms. 

So ~ already antsy and up for a fight, she snarls in my general direction “What do they mean instructions?! Do they want to know what button to push on the controller?”

I gently suggest that she could explain a few of the things the player can do in the game. Maybe talk about the characters? And the quest?

“Harrumph!”

So every day this week she has completed a different 10 minute plunge.

And today we looked at what I, her teacher, was expecting from the finished article. 

She would take her poem. (The one that on Thursday I had dragged kicking and screaming from her reluctant psyche)

"Fall"

Fall

Orange leaves

Pumpkin carvings into Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween

Colder Days and colder nights

I love Fall

She would rewrite it, expanding on the general theme.

It would have a title.

It would be neatly presented.

It would be grammatically correct.

It would have her name and the date.

And I would like it illustrated.

This is what I got. 

And this is what she got.