Recently, I interviewed Andrew Pudewa, who is the CEO and founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. He is also a homeschool dad of seven children with 18 grandkids. The Institute for Excellence in Writing teaches the arts of language to families and their children. Thus, IEW’s website tag line is “Listen. Speak. Read. Write. Think.”
IEW uses the Suzuki method for learning (the Japanese learning method). Because of this method, Pudewa believes in trying and trying again. He strongly encourages people to have an aptitude for doing things again and again to help develop fundamental skills. In his life, Pudewa learned the Suzuki method while playing violin. Later, he realized that he understood how children learn, which helped build the company. From the Suzuki method, he encourages a child to try again and again at a certain skill as a beginner and mastery will eventually come. He says that a child should practice 10,000 times and then begin understanding (this idea comes from a Japanese saying).
Continuing, he founded his work on reading and writing. Through this passion, he believes that for children to read and write well, their parents must read aloud to them. This cultivates imagination and mental growth. It can also help a child speak and listen better. In our modern age, screens won’t cultivate the art of listening and imagining. Interestingly, Pudewa substantiated that memorized language helps speaking skills. Memory is a source for language. He believes that furnishing the mind through memorization is one of the best gifts we can give our children. Also, memorizing a poem can help a student explore history and the nature behind the poem itself.
In our talk, Pudewa also explained that listening and speaking are foundational for reading well and expressing language well in writing. Pudewa encourages children to work on memorizing poems or beautiful pieces of literature. This will help a child use their brain and flesh out reading and writing skills. He also encourages parents to teach their children to read and write using paper, not technology. This is better for the brain and even test scores. Like physical exercise, one must use their brain, or they might lose memorization qualities. AI outsources thinking, which deeply bothers Pudewa. He believes that children must develop their brain power through activities such as memorizing, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. To him, creativity is not possible without the foundation of basic skills. He claims that writing is a process.
We must cultivate human faculties. Pudewa believes that if we fail to do so, we suffer spiritually. So, to guide parents forward, Mr. Pudewa has a video course for adults who want to teach writing to their children. This is the core of what IEW does for families.
Pudewa also emphasized that young people have a problem with confidence and stamina. Copying beautiful language, text reconstruction, and writing letters can help improve their writing confidence. Again, Pudewa encourages unsure writers to ask better questions through the process of text reconstruction. These IEW lessons are designed for children to ask questions. In the IEW program, the children are given a picture and must write based on the picture.
For example, if the picture is of a boat, Pudewa calls children to ask questions like, “Where is the boat going? Where did it come from? Who is the person in the boat?” Through this concept, Pudewa claims that kids don’t have to be unique writers. IEW has programs to help children grow into confident writers through source texts and text reconstruction.
These lessons also help the writer tap into their imagination and memories. Asking questions about their stories can help craft them into better writers. Pudewa declared that the quality of our lives depends on the quality of the questions that we ask.
Effective relationships between writing, communicating, reading, and thinking must be cultivated for a better, well-rounded life. IEW uses the framework of A (accomplished) & I (incomplete) method of learning/grading, which creates excellence and virtue. This method causes students to become careful, practiced writers. Pudewa clearly stated that homeschooling helps children escape age segregation and the disordered grading system, which can damage students’ souls. Through their writing process and grading system, students can achieve confidence and true excellence.
In conclusion, Pudewa highly recommends asking questions to create an improved quality of life. The writing process transfers over to any part of life where a person must learn, ask questions, and work hard. Even IEW’s grading system (A & I) and project checklist will help students develop precise skills that they can use in other areas of their lives. IEW is designed to assist you in your homeschooling journey. Utilize all it has to offer and get ready to write!
Note: For high school students and families, IEW offers a college credit course and college prep courses as well.
Use this to implement 3 Pudewa-aligned habits this month.
Print this card and re-use weekly. Track A (accomplished) vs I (incomplete) to build consistency.
