Yesterday I told the story of my son Duncan and his writing journey. The road through elementary school was a long and bumpy one. Duncan just didn't care very much for writing, certainly not for the way his writing looked. His penmanship often crossed the line into illegible. When did he finally decide to take care and pride when writing? His JUNIOR year of high school! Needless to say this caused his teacher mother countless hours of frustration and angst. Now, I enjoy reading my son's writing, and he enjoys the journey he is on as he continues to improve his work as a college student.

In the classroom I ended my story with a challenge to fifth grade writers; if you have not yet decided to take care and pride in your work, when will you? Will you wait, as my son did, another seven years? It was delightful to see bright and capable thinkers choose now. Take a look at the results!

Quite a bit of difference; in just one day!