More textbooks?!

“Few skills are more important to Christian students than the ability to effectively communicate through the written and spoken word.”

I came across that statement in Applications of Grammar / Book 4, Principles of Effective Communication by Christian Liberty Press while flipping through the pages.

It makes a lot of sense. So rather than putting off adding this book to Jacob’s curriculum next year, I decided to assign exercises from this book beginning this week. When I was putting together the week’s schedule, I mentioned it to Jacob.

“You’ll be happy to know that starting this week, you’ll have one more textbook,” I told Jacob.

“You’re kidding.”

OK, I wasn’t expecting great glee.

“It’s a grammar book. I’ll give you less reading and a grammar exercise or two every week,” I smiled.

His reaction was not one of delight.

Although I give Jacob a vocabulary exercise daily from the Wordly Wise series, I’ve completely neglected grammar. And because I’ve been pushing classic books on him, forcing him to read more than ever before, I’ve neglected writing as well. Considering he’s finishing up tenth grade, I don’t have any time to lose!

Fortunately, Jacob does have a solid basis in writing and grammar, thanks to our local public schools. I’ve always read and corrected his writing through the years, making suggestions and explaining why I put in a comma or changed a sentence, how to vary sentence structure, and how and when to use adverbs (a pet peeve). But he definitely needs more practice.

English is not Jacob’s forte, so anything I assign him – reading, writing, or exercises in grammar and vocabulary – is painful. But indeed, how will he be able to communicate his beliefs – or anything else – effectively if he doesn’t have a solid foundation in English?