A Sampling of Sixth Grade Writing - Guest Post by Grant Stilp

this is where Grant spent his spring - in the pool playing water polo

scoring his first goal of the season and I just happened to get it on film

Grant, our oldest, just finished sixth grade.  He loved his first year in middle school!  Now that is a huge answer to prayer.  Today we went through a GIANT stack of papers in his backpack and binder, a wadded up sampling of some of his work this year.  I was struck by how much his cursive improved from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

he was REALLY excited about his new water polo sweatshirt

As always, I was moved by his writing.  He writes poetry effortlessly - a talent I do not possess.  His dreams are huge (work for NASA?) but it would never cross his mind to do anything except chase after them.  This kind of enthusiasm for living abundant life is infectious.

As Grant's life unfolds it will be interesting to see how much of his current passions will grow with him into adulthood.  We'll definitely be looking back at this post in ten years and comparing real life to his sixth grade dreams.  I sure do love my boy!

Blue

by Grant Stilp

this was the middle of the year cursive

Blue looks like a beautiful river flowing down the mountain.

Blue sounds like the noisy waterfall pouring off the cliff.

Blue tastes like a crisp, fresh glass of water on a hot summer day.

Blue feels like a smooth feather of a blue jay.

My Dream House - Writing Assessment Final

by Grant Stilp

end of the year cursive

Oh man, what would it be like to live in your dream house?  I think it would be amazing.  Living in your dream house would be like living in your own paradise, because YOU designed it!

My dream house would have a very modern looking design.  Also, I would like to create an open floor plan so you can see most of the house from the front door.  I don't like houses with long winding hallways.  It just bugs me that you can't see around the next corner.  So an open floor plan would be perfect for me.  Now that I have a theme for my house, what will I put in my house to fill up the space?

The first thing I would need in my house is furniture.  I would probably do all my shopping at Ikea because most of their furniture matches my theme.  In my house I would have a spot for all my hobbies.  The first think I would have is a giant recording studio with lots of percussion stuff in it.  Above my recording studio I would have a whole room just for playing video games.  Lastly, I would have a whole closet full of skateboards.  I would also have a long, steep driveway for skating down.  Now that I have a my dream house, where in the world will I enjoy my dream house?

My dream house would be located in Denver, Colorado, right in the heart of the Rockies.  The house would be located on one of the foothills surrounding Denver that way I could be in Denver and meet the need for a long, steep driveway.  I love the snow (because I'm from Chicago) so Denver would be perfect for me.

Now you have heard about my dream house.  An open floor plan with places for all my hobbies, right in the heart of the Rockies.  Ah...paradise.

The next sample was my Mother's Day gift this year.  Grant explained that if you take the words "the eyes" and rearrange the letters, it says "They see."  This was the basis of a poem he wrote and then read out-loud to me.  I cried.

The Eyes

by Grant Stilp for Mom on Mother's Day

June 2013

The eyes

They see

her eyes

They understand

They search

Your heart

They love

And Care

Because

They are

Her eyes

They see

Grant Stilp Value Frame
by Grant Stilp

In my life I value...

• Family
• Sports
• Fitness
• Science
• Air
• A home
• My brain
• Respect
• Music
• God

In my life I will...

Use the powerful brain I was given to reach my ambitions, big or small, and to accomplish great goals.  I plan to make discoveries in physics and aerospace engineering, and to work for NASA or Lockheed Martin.

What about you?  What would your value frame look like?  What kind of dreams do you have for your life?  Why not chase them down?