Early one day on an old dairy farm lived a shaggy worn out pig. This old worn out pig had lived a horrible life on a small dose of food and water. The pig was tired of living on the farm so he thought to himself, “I have to escape”. Every day he chewed and chewed at the barbed wire fence until it snapped apart. The pig was so happy! Later that day the pig escaped. In the morning the dairy farmer realised the shaggy worn out pig had escaped.
Jacko (aged 10)
At times the writing tutor will challenge the student to write on a topic, in this case a pig. The student and the tutor have fifteen minutes to come up with a story. Creative writing can sometimes be creative anxiety, and an anxiety which may leave a child immobilised (and not just children). You cannot remove anxiety by avoiding the stimulant (the test situation) so we encourage the children to have fun with the pressure of competition. Once fun is realised pressure dissipates and creativity flows. This time I have included the tutor’s work, just for fun…
The Singing Pig – by The Tutor (age, not game to say)
When the rain came at the old tractor factory the pig knew it was going to be a good day. Slender by pig standards she was a pale skinned pig with a gentle nature. It was her normal job to sweep the floors and feed the dogs, but not on wet days. When it rained her task changed to singing for the assembly workers to keep their spirits up. At morning tea when she had sung her way through Justin Beiber’s songs and was gargling in the bathroom for her next bracket, the sun came out.
The Tutor
XtraMile Tuition Strategies (North Brisbane) - 0451 030188 