"Mum, may I use your computer to do some research on an aircraft? I'm writing a mini essay and I need to know a specific detail about this aircraft," Tiger asked me a few days ago.
Wow, the boy wants to write an essay?! Under such unbelievable circumstance, of course I let him use the computer for as long as he liked. It turned out that he only needed five minutes.
I saw Tiger scribbling down some notes as he said to me, "Writing notes in the margins is a really good idea!"
We have not done as much formal writing as I would like to have so I was curious about where Tiger has learnt that idea from.
"I learnt it from Mr. Tolkien," was his reply.
"Which Mr. Tolkien?" I pursued.
Tiger said very matter-of-factly, "J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and all the rest of the books I've been reading."
Seeing that I still had a puzzled look on my face, Tiger pointed to a book on the bookshelf and explained, "I finished reading this book last week, and it explains Tolkien's writing process. He wrote a lot of notes in margins."
I see.
Later that evening, Tiger showed me what he has written on the A4 page. I am not at liberty to show that piece of writing here so I can only describe it: it is a short paragraph explaining the history of the Hawker Hunter, complete with hand-drawn illustrations showing the plane at various angles, both front view and side view.
I am not surprised at the illustrations since Tiger has been practising his drawing.
I am somewhat surprised at the coherence of his writing, as well as the motivation and tips that he has picked up from his reading of Tolkien's work. For a boy who strongly prefers to direct his own learning, it is absolutely within expectation for Tiger to pick his own teacher. I am very glad to see that his years of reading good books have helped to form his ability to identify excellence and beauty in writing. I can't think of anyone who is more qualified for the job of a writing mentor than Mr. Tolkien is, can you?
Wow, the boy wants to write an essay?! Under such unbelievable circumstance, of course I let him use the computer for as long as he liked. It turned out that he only needed five minutes.
I saw Tiger scribbling down some notes as he said to me, "Writing notes in the margins is a really good idea!"
We have not done as much formal writing as I would like to have so I was curious about where Tiger has learnt that idea from.
"I learnt it from Mr. Tolkien," was his reply.
"Which Mr. Tolkien?" I pursued.
Tiger said very matter-of-factly, "J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and all the rest of the books I've been reading."
Seeing that I still had a puzzled look on my face, Tiger pointed to a book on the bookshelf and explained, "I finished reading this book last week, and it explains Tolkien's writing process. He wrote a lot of notes in margins."
I see.
Later that evening, Tiger showed me what he has written on the A4 page. I am not at liberty to show that piece of writing here so I can only describe it: it is a short paragraph explaining the history of the Hawker Hunter, complete with hand-drawn illustrations showing the plane at various angles, both front view and side view.
I am not surprised at the illustrations since Tiger has been practising his drawing.
I am somewhat surprised at the coherence of his writing, as well as the motivation and tips that he has picked up from his reading of Tolkien's work. For a boy who strongly prefers to direct his own learning, it is absolutely within expectation for Tiger to pick his own teacher. I am very glad to see that his years of reading good books have helped to form his ability to identify excellence and beauty in writing. I can't think of anyone who is more qualified for the job of a writing mentor than Mr. Tolkien is, can you?
