I do believe we are falling into something of a routine… a routine relaxed, working with how our family operates best- which tends towards the unstructured- taking cues from the kids and what they are interested in learning.

Certainly, we are still working with our Provincial curriculum and their regimen of spoon feeding, it still provides us with a tangible outline, but at our own pace.  It seems to be working.  As in my previous post, we are beginning to experience learning in a natural, organic sort of manner with a focus on interest rather than catching up.

Every window sill, or surface in the vicinity of a window, is inhabited by a tray of germinating/sprouting plants.  Honestly, Samson’s passion.  He waters and tends to them diligently.  Our greenhouse friend believes he has an intuitive sense of the process.

He couldn’t lay out a direction for where he’d like to focus his learning any clearer, really.  And despite the fact that I have been blessed with a somewhat grey thumb, I have to jump on this and take him as far as he’d like to take it.

Samson’s Herb-O-Rama!

One never knows….

We are now beginning to experience the fruits of our labours.

Beasley Bean is showing such huge improvements: more fluidity in his reading, writing more readily with fewer errors and he is beginning to take some independent initiative when he sits down for our scheduled work times.

Not to mention the development that makes me most deliriously happy:  he is actually DEVOURING a series of books.

Bone!

Our story is perhaps not that unique. Simply put, our recent fourth grader, who had struggled with the basics since the very first day of Kindergarten, as a four year old, was stressed out and profoundly unhappy at school. For the first time ever.

Despite his difficulties throughout his conventional education experience, he loved being there. Loved it! As a bright child, he had also developed means of coping with the increasing academic demands and continued to progress from grade to grade, though was consistently considered to be “not meeting expectations”. However, the teachers acknowledging his intelligence and potential were unconcerned, certain it was just an issue of maturity.

Well, unfortunately these earlier platitudes weren’t of much help as he embarked upon fourth grade. The demands were great and whatever tools he had come up with in earlier years just weren’t enough to keep his head above water.

Finally, after many years presented with the option (turning it down flat each time), he came to us, “I want to be homeschooled.” Christmas break was still several weeks off and we told him to stick it out until Christmas and be sure in his decision. He did. And he was.

So, here, almost four months later, despite our unpreparedness/overwhelmedness/largely down right freaked outedness/ we are all immensely satisfied with the decision. In fact our son in kindergarten at the same school joined us a couple of months later. They will likely never set foot in a conventional school again. My four year old daughter will probably never experience a conventional education at all.

Feel free to read more in my Guest Contribution, New Kids on the Block.

So, after the better part of a month, yesterday we resumed visits to the lady… it always goes well. I come away with all kinds of great, creative ways to help Beasley with engraining the sight words as well as any other spelling and reading of words that are helpful for modules as well as just functioning as a nine year old.

However, on the way out, after Beasley had bolted for the van, lady and I had our usual, recap/evaluate/sum-up the day, see you next week conversation except that today she added an interesting little variation.

“There is certainly the issue of ADD.”

“… dkshmkfrklahgaungh…. huh?”

Ignoring my incoherence she proceeded to offer a brief run-down on his various distracted/scattered/wiggling behaviours at sessions. Equating them to signs of ADD.

Signs I had only ever equated to bored school-aged boy rather out on his bike than sitting here playing word games with an old lady.

Now, I am not disputing anything she is saying. Certainly, she comes to this with nearly four centuries decades of experience with all kinds of children, challenged and otherwise, under her belt. But Beasley’s capacity for sitting still, sharply attentive, during story times, movies and TV, and video games and the fact that at no time in his conventional academic career had this acronym EVER, EVER, EVER been used; pretty much flew in the face of her interesting characterization.

So, what to do… she was adament in her distrust of meds in but only the most severe cases, so was not encouraging us to run off to the Ridillin store… but she was certain in her evaluation of the signs.

Do I ignore the lady… I know my child and am not about to go flying off based on this single evaluation, no matter how much I have appreciated her assistance… or do we try to implement her suggestions (a small bit of coffee… or hot chocolate) and see if it helps in his being able to settle and focus during structured learning times (which has, without doubt, also been an issue here at home)?

Hmmmmm……………………………………… what harm, a little hot chocolate?