--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I've taught writing to five, six…" description: "\"When I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year olds, it's not very different than talking to an adult writer. They're writers then, and when the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/alice-mattison-11066_adults_when-i-ve-taught-writing-to-five-six-and_229302.jpg" --- # When I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year… ![“When I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year olds, it's not very different than talking to an adult writer. They're writers then, and when they get to be young teenagers they're not anymore. You might go and talk to them about writing, and they'll be very self-conscious or will have…” quote by Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/alice-mattison-11066_adults_when-i-ve-taught-writing-to-five-six-and_229302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/alice-mattison-11066_adults_when-i-ve-taught-writing-to-five-six-and_229302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/alice-mattison-11066_adults_when-i-ve-taught-writing-to-five-six-and_229302.jpg) > “When I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year olds, it's not very different than talking to an adult writer. They're writers then, and when they get to be young teenagers they're not anymore. You might go and talk to them about writing, and they'll be very self-conscious or will have detached themselves from the group.” [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teaching young children to write mirrors adult instruction; they become writers early, but later may feel self‑conscious. **In simple terms:** Kids write like adults, but later feel shy. Key Takeaway Recognize and support confidence at each stage. Themes education confidence development writing growth Mood encouraging reflective Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - parent‑teacher meetings - creative writing clubs - adolescent workshops Key Concepts Pedagogy identity formation self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - How can mentors sustain enthusiasm as children age? - What strategies prevent self‑consciousness in teen writers? A Different Perspective Older teens may resist guidance due to peer pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adult Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adult-writer-856325/) [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Be young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-young/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Detached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detached/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-conscious/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Seven years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven-years/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Talk Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-writing-272969/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-writing-1383092/) [Teenager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenager/) [Writers Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-young-2325944/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [I don't change the language for children books. I don't make the language simpler. I use words that they might have to look up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/i-don-t-change-the-language-for-children-books-i-don-t-make-the/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [They're fancy talkers about themselves, writers. 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And writing is both an art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/art-can-t-be-taught-passion-can-t-be-taught-discipline-can-t-be/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [ The only thing I might have noticed \[and this is pretty anecdotal\] is that there is some tendency to need to be taught that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-only-thing-i-might-have-noticed-and-this-is-pretty-anecdotal-is/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Write. Don't talk about writing. Don't tell me about your wonderful story ideas. Don't give me a bunch of "somedays." Plant your ass and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/write-don-t-talk-about-writing-don-t-tell-me-about-your-wonderful/) [Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/) > [In my writing class, we never, ever talk about the writing - ever. We never address a story that's been read. 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I am writing -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-always-tell-audiences-when-i-talk-about-writing-writing-isn-t/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Clear writing is universal. People talk about writing down to an audience or writing up to an audience; I think that's nonsense. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/clear-writing-is-universal-people-talk-about-writing-down-to-an/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I feel like I was writing as I was learning to talk. Writing was always a go-to form of communication. And I knew I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-ocean/i-feel-like-i-was-writing-as-i-was-learning-to-talk-writing-was/) [Frank Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-ocean/) ## More by Alice Mattison > [Sometimes indirect style and varying chronology is great, but quite often I've seen it be just something that gets in the way. It turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/sometimes-indirect-style-and-varying-chronology-is-great-but-quite/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [Every once in a while someone says, 'You can't really learn anything, if you're really a writer then you wouldn't need to do it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/every-once-in-a-while-someone-says-you-can-t-really-learn-anything-if/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [Whoever would write books? It's suffering as well as greatly satisfying. 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Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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