House of Light

• Jan. 29, 2007 - My Homeschooling Story - Part II

(For anyone who is reading this for the first time, the first installment can be found here; My Homeschooling Story - Part I.) ______________________________ My Turn to Homeschool        Having grown up in a homeschooling environment I figured that I too would homeschool. There really wasn't much thought about it. I was a little afraid because of the opposition my mom had faced, but I was determined to do so at whatever the cost. What I didn't know at the time of this inner preparation (the pregnancy of my firstborn son) was that the area I had moved to as a young married was, and is, very favorable toward homeschooling. Enough families like mine (my parents) had already paved the way for young beginning homeschoolers like me to have a lot of freedom and resources in this area.        BUT...I didn't know that at the time. So when I began homeschooling I did it like my mom; quietly, secretly, without much talk about it. Making sure I kept the kids in the house from 8am through 3pm to avoid any scrutiny. At least I did have a couple of friends who homeschooled which gave me an outlet my Mom never had, but I wasn't very open about it and didn't ask many questions. I just did it. I figured I 'should' know what I was doing and just grin and bear it. I was acting like a trailblazer when in reality I didn't have to be!       So, my early years were hard. I didn't have much knowledge about curriculums, how much to do, how little to do, details that would have really helped.  I had no idea the wealth of information that was 'out there'. I didn't know where to look and just didn't know to look. In a nutshell I was floundering, wavering between modeling my school after public schools and wanting something different for my kids. I felt so pressured and so unorganized. Even when I was made aware of curriculums and magazines to help support me I had sort of a lone ranger attitude, like I needed to do this myself or not at all. (thank God he rooted that out!)             Then came my wake up call. At 8-yrs-old my son was still not reading. I had anticipated a lovely journey with my son, expecting he would learn much like I did and dive into the joyful experience of reading. When at 6 he seemed (to me) to balk at the idea of putting the sounds he had learned together to make words I just pushed a little harder. Then when I saw he was writing some letters backwards fairly consistenty I decided to back off a little and let his little brain develop the connection between right and left. ( I don't know if this is still considered accurate but that's what I learned in Child Develpment class in the early 90's) So I began to wait for him to show some readiness and give him some space.        When we picked back up again at 7 he was still struggling and becoming increasingly frustrated at the idea of trying to read. He would often just guess to try and appease me. I was completely stumped as to why he couldn't put sounds together when he clearly knew them on their own. When he started occasionally writing his name in perfect mirror image I began to think that there was something more going on. (duh?!?!)     One evening I was watching TV and there was an show on public broadcasting about dyslexia. They talked all about how children learn differently and how they were helping some children with severe dyslexia learn to read. Then, amazingly, within that same week there was a show on Oprah about the same thing. (Yes, God can use anything) It was like a light bulb went off in my head! This is why ds is having such trouble. It's not just little kid stuff he has a whole different way of looking at things!        I began to read about dyslexia and order books about how to teach children with dyslexia. It broke me out of my whole mindset of being the lone ranger who had to try and figure everything out on my own. I knew I needed to ask for help. As I began to explore more kinesthetic ways of teaching ds his letters and sounds he began to unfold like the petals of a flower. I do think a lot of this had to do with my change of perspective too. I wasn't stressed about it anymore I knew we would just figure it out together.       By early 9 he was reading fairly well and now at 12 he loves to read**. He voluntarily read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series last summer. I would catch him up late into the night still reading when he was supposed to be sleeping. It was hard to get mad at him for that after all we had been through together:)            I guess the synopsis of my homeschooling journey thus far is that sometimes it's the troubles that get us up and out of our boxed in way of thinking. I am happy to use anything that will help my children learn best. Even if it is what some call, "canned curriculum".  I am willing to recognize my limitations and use things that will balance out those areas of weakness. I'm happy to seek out different ways of doing things and to ask for help and ideas from others along the path. I don't ever want to be a lone ranger in this endeavor if I don't have to. That's what is so attractive to me about homeschool blogger...even if some of us never meet this side of heaven we can exchange our experiences and gain so much in the process. **note--I don't believe that ds's dyslexia was very severe as it only delayed his reading by a few years but he doesn't struggle with it anymore. I don't know for sure as I never had him tested. _______________________________   ----Dedicated to all those who have 'gone before' and blazed a trail for those of us following on this incredible journey called homeschooling. (Thanks, Mom.)

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