No More Tears

For all my teacher peeps out there...

We spent the last day and a half in a Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) workshop in Kenora. WOW! What an amazing program. Everything I have learned about good teaching pedagogy, making learning interactive and fun, reaching all learners through a variety of learning styles, and working at developmentally appropriate levels with children is taken into account in this penmanship curriculum. (No, I am not being paid to say this).

I used the Canadian Handwriting curriculum when I taught in Toronto. I taught second and third grades for many years and so the introduction to cursive was a big part of our learning each year. When I moved up here I was exposed to HWT for the first time. I read through the manual and plugged away at it. I really missed the slant and loops of traditional cursive (as they make cursive have an elegant beauty - in my opinion), but did see that students were able to learn the upright streamlined style more quickly.

Then at the workshop I learned all the history and research behind the program. And we were shown how they work at preparing students for printing. There is a whole year of pre-printing activities to teach students to recognize their letters, learn that we start at the top, develop understanding of the stroke sequence, etc. And it is full of hands-on manipulative, and music, and action. All things that are near and dear to my heart. (I would like to break out in song with my class every day - and I used when I had a piano in my room).

So, coming out of this workshop I am completely convinced that HWT is an amazing program for teaching students to write neatly and have fun doing it. I have plans for playing with Jo and teaching him using many of the pre-writing activities (double bonus: we get time together and I get to extend my teaching skills).

For all my administrative peeps out there...

Although PD is expensive and it is a hassle to get subs to cover classes, please know that is it really worth it. Teachers are inspired, encouraged, and fired up to work harder when we are taught well and given good tools to work with.

All in all, two great days.