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Show Home & School Some children would rather get stomped on the toes by a dray horse than write a three-sentence thank-you letter to Aunt Arlene for the birthday present. IT'S TOUGH to get kids enthusiastic about writing. , The word is getting around, though, that many young people become excited about keeping journals. These are daily personal records of experiences and reflections. DORIS O'HARA, an Oregon high school English teacher, gives some classes 10 to 15 minutes of each period to write in journals. She never reads these personal per-sonal writings unless the students invite her to do so. One student in the class learned some valuable lessons about himself. He said he read his journal six or seven times, and that it opened his eyes to some problems that he found recurring in his life. The journal showed him aq he really is and how he could change. THE TEACHER said that as the school year progresses, more and more students find themselves writing in their journals outside of class time. These young people write about their little triumphs and tragedies, what they hope for in the future, theii feelings about some news event or person, descriptions of athletic events and personal adventures. t THEY ARE discouraged from merely recording mundane mun-dane information such as when they got out of bed that flay or what they ate for breakfast unless there's something significant about an otherwise dull entry. As students became disciplined to the regular writing that a well-kept journal demands, they may become more enthusiastic. "WRITING ABOUT something new 'is like telling a friend about it," said one student. When a young person develops that kind of feeling about writing, chances are writing will become a habit. ) Parents can encourage this kind of writing by providing provid-ing a journal, which may not be anything more than an inexpensive notebook. v OTHER NEEDS the young writer will have are the right to privacy and 15 minutes a night when the TV and stereo are siient. ( |