Last week, my son was listening to his IEW Student Writing DVD. His lesson was on writing a biographical sketch, outlining someone's life in five short paragraphs. Well, I already knew the perfect subjects - perhaps writing on an early father of the church would help his recent lessons on Roman civilization to sink in more deeply. As an added bonus, he could delve more deeply into some of the books which we hadn't time to read in history. I thought it was a perfect topic - he wasn't convinced.

As we spoke, I could see the disinterest reflected in his eyes. Once the conversation turned to baseball, his demeanor changed. He had just finished reading a book on baseball player Derek Jeter, and was fascinated, eager to learn more. When I suggested that he write his biography on Jeter instead, my son's eyes lit up with excitement. had to use at least three sources for his biography, only one of which could be from the internet. Before our talk was through, he already had two other possible sources lined up.

We decided that he would write about Derek Jeter, rather than church fathers.

This week he found interesting and important information about Jeter. Today we narrowed his paper to three topics about Derek Jeter. Next week, he will outline his paper and begin writing.

He is much happier and more enthusiastic about his assignment, since he is writing about a topic that interests him. This keeps him motivated, and his writing is most effective when he has the freedom to choose a topic. He'll learn more, and retain more, this way.

Wherever possible, let your kids choose topics which interest them. They will take ownership of their work, and be more motivated to boot. Try it soon - simply talk with your kids to find a topic which interests them, and then let them choose. They'll love the chance to follow their passions, leading to better papers which will be a joy to read.