Between the homeschooling, packing, taking care of my home and family while trying to take care of myself and my belly, I can say I am truly exhausted. At the same time I am so happy and feel so fulfilled. I am not stating everything is running perfect in my home because it truly is not, but somehow the Lord has given me such awesome peace, amazing strength, and real knowledge of who my kids are. Something I would never have figured out on my own. Today is one of those days where I look at my children and realize how much I love homeschooling and spending this time with them. I just keep thinking this time will pass away so fast and I want to make sure we have something really fullfilling to remember them by.
I have been struggling so much with Wizdom and today I can say we had one of those days where he really got it. The look on his face was truly priceless. I decided today (something I should have done along time ago) to truly cater "school" to Wizdom. Isn't that what homeschooling is all about anyways. When will I truly let go of "public school methods". I try and try and alway end up going back to what I am used to and feel safe with. The only problem with that is that my ds was not only not learning, but really hating "school". It was getting to the point that he dreaded coming into the family room in the morning. I'm not even sure when this started. It has been for a few months now. It started off this morning like always where he just was not getting it and was ready to cry. I said a low prayer and felt led by the Lord to take everything away from in front of him. I looked around the room ready to cry myself and saw my Dry Erase board. I grabbed it and decided to do something different with it. Instead of me just showing him how to do the Math problems on the board while he tried to figure them out on paper, we each got a different color marker. I used the same problems that were in the book, but I would do one problem in my color and he would do a similar one in his. He really liked the idea of using the Dry Erase board and markers instead of paper and pencil. We just made it fun! and he learned (I mean really got it) what we have been struggling with in Math for months. Go figure! It seemed that as soon as he let go of the stress of "school work" and was just playing with markers he let his gaurd down and actually learned. Before I knew it he was doing all the problems on his own while having fun with it. When we took out his reading book which we also have been struggling with, he had that I can conquer the world attitude and just read like a pro. I was so happy, but of course did not let on because I was scared the gaurd would come back up. I did praise him when he was done on how well he read and he just gave me an amazing smile from ear to ear. The greatest part is that he not only read like a pro, he actually remembers what he read. That was something else we were struggling with. WOW! Now these moments are the true moments that show me why I homeschool! It's funny how everytime I feel like nothing is going right and they are not learing enough, the Lord shows me He is truly in control. I guess what set me off was the fact that we are getting so close to evaluation and I still can't figure out how to make my portfolio for Wizdom. This will be our first time doing this and I really do not want to mess up. AnaMaria has evreything really neat in the same notebook and I know she is more than ready to take the SAT test, but Wizdom has used so many curriculums and hands on learning that I don't know what to do for his portfolio. I know for a fact he is not ready to test yet and I will probably keep him doing "6th grade" work through the summer. I am more interested in him actually learning something than just having him memorize facts for a test. I have decided to make a portfolio of all the work he has done. I'm sure it will not look as perfect and complete as most moms probably have by this time, but I'm still learning this part myself. I am just glad we had a whole day with no tears and real learning. That was the true icing on my cake today!
I think it is great that your son is catching on and enjoying school. Yea! Have you joined the homeschool lounge yet? I am trying to add my blogging buddies to my friends list and am having a hard time finding everyone! If you have, let me know so I can add you! Take care of yourself!
Pam
Yay!! How exciting! My oldest is similar, he is 15 and still close to tears at times, he feels overwhelmed if I ask him to memorize a verse, saying 'that will take FOREVER' stuff like that. arrgh. He has memorized the entire PS 101 in about 3 weeks, I think that's pretty good myself! He was in PS up til 5th grade, I think he still deals with self issues because of it.. sigh.
TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS - take photographs of you working out math problems on the dry erase board, take photographs of him reading his book, take photographs of him walking through museums.. Those photographs are proof that you're doing stuff with him.. - you can never prove what a person knows.. until they decide to use that knowledge in how they lead their lives. Your job is to prove to the schoolboard that you're doing academic stuff with him. (We get a choice, write a brag report, or a portfolio.. I always choose a brag report.. and it's never full of substance!! just fluff)
oh, forgot to add.. thanks for the kudos on the pg stuff, you and my irl friends really have made me blush!
My hubby is finishing up the painting in our livingroom..and I've realized he's painted the baseboards all the wrong colour.. so I'm having to decide.. leave it, or change it. sigh..
Hey, lady, I'm so glad you're home and doing well. When will you lay down your public school training? If you're like me, it will probably be when baby #4 is graduating! I have to remind myself that I spent 12 years learning how to "do school" and another seven years of college taking the fun right out of learning!
I'm glad to hear that you've had a breakthrough with your son. My youngest and I are going through something similar, and your post was a timely reminder about the power of prayer. She is beginning to read and very frustrated with the fact that she doesn't always get it right the first time. She told me one night that she hates school. At 4 years old, I don't want her to see learning as a bad thing, so I, too, am praying about "catering" skills.
Don't you just love it when your dc actually "gets" it? I know that feeling as a mom.
BTW, I didn't have that pic of my sitting and sipping tea but I should've included the one of me standing over them with a whip. LOL
Wonderful idea with the white board! God gave you insight into 2 effective things that are great for the brain. One, is the use of color. Second, is having him tell you how to do it. I've even seen myself, that I can't grasp a concept so I delay teaching it. But finally I dive in and teach it and then I've got it! Teaching a concept to someone engages the brain more actively than merely being passive and listeninng. Also, I don't think having him tell you would have been quite as effective, except that you made it a game. You take a turn, he takes a turn. That takes a lot of pressure off him from having to do all the "teaching" and gives him a chance to "tell Mom what to do!" LOL Bravo!
It is so neat how God has designed our brains. I read the Cynthia Ulrich Tobias books (Christian author) on learning styles and I also like Brain Based Learning (not necessarily Christian.) I'm going to have to blog about this stuff. Where's the time? Actually, I will finally get to divulge my secret as to why I've been absent so much next week!
~ I Started this Blog March 25, 2007 ~
When my youngest son, Xander 3, became ill I decided to quit my job to stay home with him. I never would have imagined the journey our Lord would take us on since then. We have decided to keep our two older children home and homeschool all of them. Our children are AnaMaria 14, Wizdom 11, and Xander 3. I invite you to join us on our journey in our first year of homeschooling. I will be sharing our ups and downs and hopefully receive some advice along the way.
~With Love in Christ~
JEN
- Get Your Own
