If I am being honest about homeschooling..I mean REALLY honest.
That is when I can admit that for some reason...teaching them the "basics" is gthe hardest for me...SO FAR.(I am SURE there are HARDER things to come!!!)
I am CONSTANTLY asking the "other" kids who come over...
"What are YOU doing in math?"
"How did YOU learn your multiplication facts?"
"What did YOU read today?"
"How often do YOU do science?"
Most of the time I get VERY LITTLE info from my little public school friends..they are soooo OVER school questions! LOL
I cant help it...somewhere inside of me I still find it hard not to "compare" us to others.
I am REALLY working on that...but its a SLOW PROCESS.
Trying to RE-train my brain after YEARS of "conditioning".
I KNOW my kiddos are smart.
But...It has been a struggle(at times) to teach SOME of them to read.
I have found that I have to find a BALANCE somewhere in the middle.
Some MIDDLE ground..
On one hand-
There are the UN-schooling books I have read that say, "Dont worry if they dont read till they are 11...its ok."(When I read THAT I almost LOST MY MIND....not till they are 11??? Thats WAY TOO UN-school, hippy style for EVEN ME!)
and on the OTHER HAND..
there is the "you HAVE to be at a certain LEVEL" view of the CONVENTIONAL public school.(Which is ONE of the reasons WHY we choose to Homeschool...so that we DO HAVE more FREEDOM.)
I have struggled with the fact that Ezekiel finds it REALLY HARD to piece it together.
He can read...but DOES NOT LIKE IT!!!
I have to MAKE HIM read.
AND ...while he is reading-I almost have to stand over him.
A struggle...for BOTH of US.
I WANT it to be easy for him...I WANT him to WANT TO READ!
I am learning that as the children grow older, the things that I WANT for them arent always so.
The same things arent always going to be EASY for all of us.
Zeek is an AMAZING creative thinker, humanitarian, and LOVES science!
ALL which are JUST AS important as READING EASILY at 8!
Shashamane is 2 years younger than Zeek and can probably read at a 3rd grade level....ALREADY.
I taught her the "rules" of reading once and she has NEVER looked back.
She is 6 and I have started to find her on the couch READING...without being ASKED!!!
To me...THAT is a miracle.
I am learning to appreciate that it takes "creativity" on MY PART to get some kids interested.
I now get Zeek interested in reading by steering him towards books like "Captain Underpants". (If you dont know- its POTTY HUMOR..All the way!)
I have learned that he IS INTERESTED in reading...as long as WHAT he is reading has SOMETHING to do with farting, burping, peeing, pooping, or eating ANYTHING gross!
Its like I always say..."Get in where you fit in."
For now...We apparently "fit in" with GROSS little boys who WANT to read about SMELLY FARTS and STINKY POOP! LOL
Like I said...I AM BEING HONEST!
4 comments:
BUT
they know Jah ans the word.....
the most important of all the info
B basic
I instructions
b before
l leaving
e earth
God bless mama, u r doing fine.
dawn
I am a homeschooling mom in Florida, too! My children aren't as old as yours, but I am teaching the two oldest who are 5 and 6. I empathize with everything you write. I even had to insist that the five year old not get any formal instruction until he turned five. (My MIL was always asking if he was reading yet when he was four. Hello. No, he's four.)
While I agree that children should go at their own pace and read what they want, I also like to see progress in their schooling. So I consult Florida's DOE website for the standards.
We don't follow a curriculum, but I use the website as a guide. Most of time, we're just talking to each other about habitats, health, and patterns of the moon. I guess you could call that unschooling.
I see a lot of other children during the week (I teach piano), and I ask them and their parents how they learned this or that, school-wise -- Not to compare but to get a few helpful hints.
Well, I'm a bit long-winded, aren't I? Here's the website:
http://www.floridastandards.org
Just click on standards, find the subject and grade level (I go to the level that the state wants them to be not what *I* think they should be) and benchmark.
So, yea. Like I said. It's just a guide. I know my children are way beyond the standards, but if anyone were to raise an eyebrow (which happens a lot) and question my authority over my children or my qualifications to teach, I have those documents to have my back.
Love.
Jana...let me tell you that Zeek sounds perfectly NORMAL! Every kid is different, I see it every day. There are a lot of kids that don't like to read, especially boys and Captain Underpants is a staple in my classroom as well. Whatever works, right? They also love Diary of a Wimpy Kid...might be a little hard for him right now, but he should love it in a year or two. I think you're doing an amazing job! I find my job extremely difficult and frustrating at times, and all mine are the same age!...don't know how you keep up with 4 at all different stages! Hang in there...those kids are so lucky to have a mom who goes that extra mile and if you didn't worry about them...you wouldn't be doing a good job! Anytime you have any questions, or need anything, let me know! My youngest step-son is 9, so he and Zeek are about the same age.
Love ya girl!
Jaime
Oh sister we are one in the same. Fighting the mainstream worlds standardized "normal".Homeschooling can sometimes feel like it is us against the "regular world of kids". I love our talks when we realize are "diffrent" kids are amazing, smart, compassionate, and unbiased human beings. Hugs to you. Word to the homeschooling Mama. P.S. I love Dawn's post to you.
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