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Contests as an Education Tool (Jan 2006)

My son wants to be an actor. I should say he is an actor and wants to pursue acting as a career. Luckily he is already a good writer too. I am encouraging him to think about having a duel career that combines writing and acting. He is only 12 so his dreams could change many times before he is an adult. We’ll see. (His online scrapbook for acting is at www.danielrussellactor.com.)

Anyway, Daniel recently submitted a play to Wayside Theater’s 2006 Young Playwright’s Festival (http://www.waysidetheatre.org/Education/youngplaywrights.htm) and the whole experience got me thinking. First off it is a win win situation even if his play does not get chosen. I mean he is now a playwright regardless. That is a huge accomplishment for a 12 year old. But if his play is chosen to win, he will also have a wonderful plum to list on his college and scholarship applications; something that becomes more important as he gets older.

This has been such a positive experience for him that I decided to do a little research into other contests for young writers. There are many. I list a few on my Writing Contest page.

Now I know that some of you are thinking:

”This is ridiculous! I am trying to get my child to pass and not join a gang. We are worlds away from thinking about writing contests!”

My answer to you is this; one of the benefits to having a single more is that children often have an easier time becoming self-sufficient. I mean we don’t have time to do everything for them. It is part of our job to help them think for themselves and take responsibility for the outcomes in their lives. We have got to get them to think beyond the next video game and dream bigger. Then we have to teach them to take action - now.

Your child may never win an essay contest. I know Daniel will because he will keep entering them until he does win. I am proud of that aspect of his character.

I think these contests can be good also because they provide a structure and parameters that are lacking when my son just decides to write something. They help him to learn about completing things and polishing his final draft. And they teach him that you don’t always win but just by making the effort, you come out a winner.

Good Luck!

How Do I Get My Child to Read?
- by Jeanne Russell
(c) Jeanne Russell - All Rights reserved =====================================

How Do I Get My Child to Read?

Well first off, please don’t make your child read. You want to encourage a life-long love of reading and frankly you would be much more likely to succeed by banning reading in your house then by turning reading into yet another chore that needs to be done.

Secondly, make sure that your child doesn’t have some learning disability that makes reading hard or uncomfortable. Your child could have some undetected condition that makes reading difficult. Check with your child’s teacher and/or have him tested if necessary. If there is a learning disability present, experts can help your child with strategies that will make reading easier and more enjoyable.

The best time to instill a love of reading in your child is before they can read. Read to them at bed time. Please don’t play a bedtime video. Make sure that reading is part of a bedtime ritual that is comfortable and pleasant.

The easiest way to instill a love of reading in your child is to be an avid reader yourself. When your little girl comes to you wanting to play Barbies, you can say “One moment sweetie, I want to finish this chapter”. You will be showing her by example that reading is even more fun than Barbies!

If you hate to read then have yourself tested for a disability. Again you will be demonstrating how important reading is. Also think about instituting a “quiet” time during the day when you read and must not be disturbed. It would be a perfect time for your son or daughter to read too. Talk about the books you are reading while at dinner.

You also need to make sure that there are plenty of books in the house. The library is great, but you must also own books. They need to be available. Having no money is no excuse. There are plenty of used bookstores and flea markets with cheap books for sale. Libraries often sell books and sometimes even give them away. When I started an on-line used book store, I was immediately inundated with truckloads of books from friends who needed to make room for more books. Just let people know you want books and they will start to appear. Believe me! Also, make sure there is a wide variety of subjects and titles. You never know what will spark your child’s interest.

Respect your books and encourage you children to respect them too. Get them a special book mark. Teach them to take care of their books.

Let’s say you didn’t read to your child as a baby and now he only reads when the school makes him and he hates it! Cancel the cable and get the electronic games out of the house. Immediately. You may think this is a drastic move but it is necessary. (And don’t link this change to reading in any way.) You can always bring the TV and electronics back once the habit of reading has been established.

You must be willing to make sacrifices if you want to help your child be a success in life. Studies show that the kids who read are the ones who end up finding success. Books also enrich a life like nothing else. I cannot imagine my life without my books. It would be so much less interesting and so would I.

Some children are so active that they have trouble sitting still long enough to read a book. If you have one of these children, ask yourself the following questions: Are you letting your child have a lot of sugar and caffeine? Do they get enough sleep? Be honest! These issues are all linked together and could be contributing to the problem. Again add reading to the bedtime ritual. If you don’t have one, make one. Active children particularly need a transition time to help them sleep. Start by reading to your child and then let you child read to themselves. You can even read to an older child or take turns reading to each other.

Finally let your child pick the books they read. You can find books on subjects that interest them and give them as gifts. Or you can take the recommendations of the child editors of www.kidsrecommendbooks.com.

The bottom line is that you must create an atmosphere that encourages reading without pushing it on your child.

I hope this article is helpful. I welcome comments and suggestions. When commenting, please indicate your willingness to have your entry published on this site. jeanne@jeannerussell.com

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