IEW Writer's Conference

My friend Sally and I had a wonderful time at the IEW writer's conference! And for my fellow IEW users, to prove that I actually met Mr. Pudewa himself, here is a pic of us together! I was actually a tad giddy about having my picture taken with him, can you tell? He is an excellent speaker; engaging, inspiring, and funny. And he has an amazing vocabulary! Listening to him speak was like music to my ears and food for my soul.

IEW stands for Institute for Excellence in Writing. They produce the writing curriculum and the poetry memorization curriculum we use in our homeschool. I love their approach to writing, because they incorporate the teaching of both structure and style. They teach 9 different models that cover every type of writing that could be required of our students, and they also teach stylistic techniques that make the writing more interesting to read. I have used IEW for nearly two years now, but hearing Andrew Pudewa teach it himself has given me much more confidence in utilizing it fully in our homeschool. I can't wait to implement what I've learned!

The seminar energized me greatly for the rest of the school year, and helped to remind me why we do the things we do, as well as giving me food for thought about NOT doing some things which may be unnecessary. I came home much encouraged!

Unfortunately, I also came home sick. I am pretty sure it's strep throat, though I'm hoping not. If I am not significantly better by morning I will go get a rapid strep culture. Tomorrow will be school lite, naps, and playing catch up from 2 days away. Lord willing, I can dig in to school again in earnest on Tuesday.