My IEW Story

 

Join me as I look back on my
years as a teacher,tutor,
and homeschool mom
in "Something Old"segments.

  Today, as I reflect on days gone by, I want to share  the story of how I became an IEW tutor.  Homeschooling parents, although my nest is now empty and my active homeschooling days are done, I was once in the trenches. I know the joys of educating at home. I have also experienced the exhaustion, the frustration, the seemingly never-ending days.... In fact, one of the most difficult seasons of homeschooling is what brought me to IEW...

 ...and IEW equipped me to help one of my sons over a significant hurdle. 

To do this story justice, I need to go back in time even further to my days as a public school teacher. As a second-year teacher, I was given the huge responsibility of test driving a composition curriculum for my school. I had a successful year with it, and the next year, I was charged with training the faculty to said curriculum. When I left the public schools a few years later to homeschool my children, I felt extremely prepared to teach ELA.

When the time arrived for my boys who are not quite 13 months apart in age to begin writing, I used what I knew. At first, it worked. When my older son (I call him "Tony" here) was in 2nd grade and my younger son ("Steve"--we're huge MCU fans, LOL) was in 1st grade, they wrote and illustrated stories that I submitted to Georgia Public Broadcasting's Young Writers competition. 

Steve won! His book The Astronaut Who Was Afraid of Heights took first place in the state of Georgia. I have inserted pictures of his book throughout this post. 

I thought it would be smooth sailing from then on. I could not have been more wrong.

Because they are adults with real lives and ambitions, I won't be specific in what I share here. However, for context, my family has an alphabet soup of learning and developmental needs that became more and more apparent as they grew. By the time Steve was in 4th grade, he hated writing. 

I have to pause for a second to let the wave of emotions pass over me because I felt them all.

Frustration. Fear. Anger. Anxiety. Failure.

His tears and mine flooded our desks almost daily as we tried to move the words that were in his mind--his brilliant, sweet, creative mind--onto a piece of paper. But the words would not cooperate, and writing was tortuous for him. 

Enter IEW.

A blogger I followed at the time shared her experience with the curriculum. At first, I was confused and doubtful. Was IEW requiring students to really write? I mean...take a few words from a provided source, say it back, and write it down? It seemed like little more than copy work to me.

Alas, desperate times call for desperate measures...or perhaps, more accurately stated, they call us to get over ourselves, ditch our pride, let go of what we think is the way, and try something new. 

I took what I thought at the time was financial risk and bought the video and seminar workbook. I completed the course on my own first. I did not try to teach either of my boys because I wanted to make sure I fully understood the curriculum. 

I did understand it. I really got it. It changed my perspective on how ELA should be taught. Something Mr. Pudewa suggested stuck with me too. I cannot remember if he mentioned this in the seminar or in another video I watched, but at some point, he mentioned that learning IEW in a group setting is beneficial. Because students have various strengths and weaknesses, a classroom brings those differences together in a way that each member of the class can benefit from others. Students can help each other find banned words, select key words, choose an appropriate synonym. Along with the curriculum providing ample support, a classroom environment broadens the pool of ideas and resources, further supporting the student.

I found two friends who were willing to let me tutor their children along with mine. Our class of four accomplished so much! That year was a time of growth and success for all the children involved. It was a time of recalibrating and healing for me. Precious Steve enjoyed learning again--in part because learning with his friends was fun but also because IEW really did work. It was not just copy work. It was the structured, scaffolded instruction he needed to help him jump a hurdle.

The next year, I offered two classes: one for Steve and one for Tony. Tony is a natural, confident writer, yet he too benefitted greatly from multiple years of IEW courses. 

This year, 2022, both Steve and Tony are poised to graduate college in May. As I watch them receive their diplomas, I will cry yet again. This time my tears will be ones of joy and thanksgiving. By God's grace, they have accomplished their educational goals. IEW most definitely helped along the way.

Thank you, IEW!

If you are interested in having your child learn to write with IEW and in a classroom setting, check out my classes for 2022-23 school year. I would love to partner with you as you educate your children from home!