My 13 year old daughter is a straight "A" student with exceptional writing skills.  Her Language Arts teacher suggested she find some writing contests, however, he had no suggestions for where to find them.
218236
search the web\nfastweb.com & scholarship.com are 2 that I use!  fastweb is the best, they will send u an e-mail when they match something!
133525
First off -- does she want to pursue a career in pageants or be part-time or scholarships?  If she does I would recommend going to http://www.johnrobertpowers.net and sign your precious girl up with an agency either in Illinois or Pennsylvania if you wish to have an agency represent her in Ohio and get more stuff going for her... or try this page: http://www.pageantcenter.com/majorpageants.html#State_Pageants and see if that helps at all.  But if she doesn't want to take it any more -- just let her stop. Otherwise, I hope you will find her a pageant soon! Good Luck!
218528
Blame the Internet, if you like, or parents, or cell phones, video games, or even the kids themselves. There is no easy answer. I used to work at a newspaper with a person who was pursuing (and now has earned) a degree in Journalism... and he had the word "committee" pasted to his computer because he couldn't remember how to spell it. My editor let me proof his articles because it took her too long to do it while she was on deadline - and he was older than I was! \n\nI think teachers try, but like you said... students aren't interested. Why should they be, when they can get on the Internet or their cell phones n tlk lk ths? y use cmms r vwls wn u cn rd ths? AARRGHHH!!!\n\nParagraphs seem to be completely beyond anyone's grasp (what's a topic change?), questions are anything that end with a question mark (or seven), and capital letters are a thing of the past. Have you visited the Books & Authors section of Y! Answers? There are tons of people there dying to be published who can't write a legible sentence (oops sorry, big word there). \n\nAnyway... I don't know how they get through. I wish I did. I wish I could motivate the world. Maybe you and I should start a non-profit organization for the managers of the world who are required to write reports on a daily basis and call it "English for the Educated but Ignorant."\n\nThanks for letting me rant!!!!
298693
When I was in 3rd grade I hated cursive, so I wrote longhand.  The teachers told me I should learn it because it would be required next year.  I did the same in 4th grade. The teachers warned me in 4th grade they'd *require* cursive in 5th grade, so I'd better start doing it.  I didn't.  In 5th grade they warned me that 6th grade teachers would make me do my work over if I did it long hand.  I ignored them.  In 6th grade nobody ever mentioned cursive again.  I still don't use cursive.
183276
Wow, what school do you go to?????  Maybe they ought to teach you how to write.....
115282
I share your concern. Although some people here are not native English speakers, many appear to be from the U.S. and appear unconcerned about the basic tenets of written communicattion. I wonder if writing in such an informal manner will impact the way they communicate when it's important -- like in school or the workplace. I believe you can only learn to write well by practicing writing well. I think some students are in for a big shock when they get to college or enter the workplace because the ability to express yourself correctly, clearly, and succinctly is a major factor in success.
62316
Tell him to read. Alot of journalists write books. These will give him examples of successful writing styles, and learn about the experiences that journalists deal with performing their craft. Get him in advanced English and History. English will help him with his writing skills, and history has been essentally written by journalists. Get him in the school paper or some other extra cirricular activity. Find out if your local paper or TV station has any internships for high school kids. These will give him excellent experience, an opportunity to see if journalism is really for him, and be an excellent line on his resume. But most important read. My suggestion All the President's Men by Woodward and Bernstein or type sports journalism into amazon and see what pops up. If y'all have a local paper (something published weekly or bi-monthly found outside restaurants or shops for free) see what they could do with a high schoolers prospective.
275927
i had the same problem in school.  it's sad.  they let you use ebonics, but you can't write messy.  hello cure dislexia and i'll write neater.  also i think faster then i write and type. my hand just can't keep up.  glad to know our schools still have a scued sence of priority.
39759
Your daughter needs to learn to adjust and to be part of a social peer group. Over-achievers and under-achievers tend to be ridiculed by other students. This is part of the school experience. My suggestion to you and to your daughter is for your daughter to become involved, to create friendships and to join social, atheletic, and academic school clubs or write/edit the schools newspaper. I don't think it is overachieving or under-achieving that is the problem that causes other students to ridicule other students. I think it is the tendency of such students to distance themselves from their peers and as a result their peers ridicule them because they feel that the other student is out there. Have your daughter do things with her friends because this will make other students like her much more and be less likely to ridicule her. It will also help her to take such ridicule much better since she will have a social group that she belongs to.
371503
I'm a first grade teacher and have 2 autistic children in my class. Handwriting is almost always an issue in first grade but these two have an especially hard time and find it 'easier' and less time consuming to write large and messy.  I literally have to erase their work, sit by their side and tell them to write small and take their time.  I continue erasing if necessary.  Most of my boys actually have bad handwriting.  I have to do the same, erase or throw away their papers and make them do it again.  Mostly I see laziness because it takes 'too much' time and concentration to write neat!  There are websites you can go to to print out handwriting worksheets (can't think of an address at this moment!).  I would make this a part of his homework routine.  Print out a couple of sheets and sit by his side letting him know you will not accept work that he did not take his time to do.  Know that it may still be messy, but accept any improvement and PRAISE him for his hard work.  Good luck.
33668
It is best to answer this question yourself. They are not looking for anything "unusual" at all. What they are looking for is your ability to think things through and how well you write. Answer this question truthfully, no matter how "simple" your answer seems. What makes you stand out is whether or not you write well. Have teachers read your essay and give you pointers.
316978
Check with the junior national honor society chapter in your child's school.  They should offer free tutoring.  Best of  luck to you both.
290347
My pet hate is 'I done this or that...' We slaughter the English language. My nephew came home from school with a marked assignment which was to tell a story about his best holiday. Granted he is only 9 and his imagination and use of words was fantastic but his spelling, atrocious. His spelling mistakes were either not picked up or corrected incorrectly by his teacher.We were appalled as when questioned about this his teacher's reaction was 'We encourage imagination, not accuracy'. What! No wonder children cant put a sentence together if teachers cant.
536509
let your 4th grader write his own paragraph..\nif you r the 4th grader ...do your own work you might actually enjoy it \nOne doesnt learn anything if they dont try..
674931
You might consider going to a school district and offering to get alternative certification to teach at the elementary level (I wouldn't wish middle or high school teaching off on even a rabid dog that had bit me!), say 4th or 5th grade.  In those two grades teachers sometimes partner and switch classes back and forth (that is one will teach math and science while the other teaches social studies and English).  You'd be a real asset as an elementary teacher with those special writing skills.
528312
I too am a chronic procrastinator, and like you, a straight-A student (even through graduate school :) but I do have a story that may scare you a bit. It's the only F I ever got in a total of 20 years of school! I was in 6th grade and lived in a rural community, in a house in the woods. Our assignment was to do a leaf collection with 50 pressed and mounted leaves, scientifically named and categorized. I knew the names of most trees in the area, and was fairly interested in botany, but could care less about doing the project, so I set it aside. On the night before it was due, I wandered through the woods, carelessly plucking leaves, and stacked them into a large encyclopedia to dry a bit. I managed to find 40 different leaves, but they didn't have time to press, so I ironed them (BIG mistake) then ended up gluing them onto typing paper, and writing the scientific names with a marker, and putting them in a folder. It was awful, and I knew it. Other students (like C students!!!) brought in beautiful keepsake-type albums...I sneaked up and slid mine on the bottom. The next day the teacher talked about the projects, and held up mine as a NON-example. I'm sure I was scarlet but no one guessed that shabby work was mine!!! The teacher looked at me with a you-ought-to-be-ashamed-of-yourself stare and my heart sank to the floor. I will never forget that blazing red F on the paper. It was horrible! I never let that happen again!!! Good luck and get it done!!!! :)
244267
Tell her to go to www.guru.com and sign up.  It's free to look at the basic information and to bid on projects.\n\nI've used this service several times for freelance writing assignments.  And they safe-pay as well (escrow).