writing is a path to understanding

next to air, food, water, clothing, shelter, family and friends, the two earthly things i could not live without are pen and paper. that's how things have always been for me since as far back as i could remember. not that i write anything earth-shattering; mostly it's just doodles, ideas (that fleet without paper and ink), reminders, to do lists, insights. but you get the idea. i love words, the worlds they create, the worlds they make known.

when i look at kids of the younger generation - the ones who compose the Sabbath School class that i teach - i see a lack of this love, if not a complete absence of it. oh, how much they are missing!

what i did was provide them with notebooks to use as journals with the instruction that they write two entries per week. i don't care what they write about, their grammar, the language used (just as long as i understand), the spelling, the length, the viewpoint, the attitude. what i want them to do is to look at their subject and write about it. i am hoping that by doing this, they will learn to look beyond what meets the eye, inspect, analyze, compare, contrast, describe, think critically, form opinions, form attitudes and understand.

writing is a lot like public speaking, only you get more preparation time. the process usually compels a person to bring his thoughts together, choose the most appropriate words, structure a whole out of disjoint parts, and stretch creativity muscles. thus, a person's mind is exercised, strengthened, deepened, broadened and hopefully, elevated.

above all, i pray that the comprehension they develop will become one of their tools for understanding the Word of God and how it applies to the things they see and experience. God wants His every child to make full use of every opportunity for intellectual and spiritual growth. writing is one of those opportunities because it allows you to look not only at what you write about but more importantly into yourself and the things you value.

i am not expecting to suddenly discover Shakespeares or Davids in my students. i can't even expect to get them to share my love for words and writing. but who knows, i might be in for a surprise. this coming Sabbath, i'll find out. :)

what strategies do you apply to help your students understand?