I'm cheating a bit! It's not even lunch time on Friday and I'm writing this! Truth is I'm not feeling very well today and quite honestly would like to go back to bed! However, in 10 + years of being a mummy I've learned that you ain't allowed to be "ill" and you have to keep going! So, we've (kind of) done a morning's work and we are off to the home ed network's sports afternoon in an hour - so I reckon I can take some time out whilst S is in his imaginary world of football world cups (playing in the same room as me with a small ball!).
This week has overall been a positive week. I've been very aware that I think I'm slipping into the dangerous trap of moaning and seeing the negatives which is obviously coming across to other folks and I've had a couple of implied comments that I should be packing S back to school. This is the LAST thing I would do and realised that I have to be more honest about how things are going and not so negative. We have done a huge amount but more importantly S is a happier boy. My eldest is just one academic year ahead of S and there has been a definite shift in what is going on in the playground, the language used and the issues at school (not the language used by him but what he is telling me about). The more I see the kids and what they tell me about the more I am convinced we have done the right thing! My other 3 kids are so much more able to tell me about what is going on and discuss things and cope with things but it makes me sick to think of S being back in that situation. I've realised also that my negativity is partly because of the isolating nature of home schooling - and home schooling an autistic child possibly more so (although I can't really comment on home schooling an "unautistic" child! I decided this week that I have to be far more proactive at making opportunities to socialise for both of us. So, this week on the 2 afternoons that we have free we had friends round. What a joy! What a difference for both of us! I feel far more human (I could never survive on a deserted island!!!) and it is so good for S too!
This week has been an experiment. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we worked intensively on maths and English and did a little speech therapy work too. On the whole this went well. One area we looked at in maths was far too hard for S and we came across some pretty big time uncooperation but we overcame that, changed the method and got through it. We have looked at subtracting 2 digit numbers, time, number sequences and money work. He did a lot of work! We finished stage 10 reading books (so that is 2 stages completed since I started teaching him), and have looked at grammar and spelling. He has been given the task of completing a book review on the stage 10 books he has read that I will then hand into the school. He is really excited about this!
Thursday and Friday have been "non-desk" days! Yesterday we made a CD car racer with an elastic band, CDs, a pencil and a toilet roll tube with inserts from a kit. We had great fun racing it in the hall and discussing ways to make it faster and better. S decorated the wheels. We discussed what made it go and what makes other things "work" too. What was energy? What are forces? This we decided would be a good topic for science for the next few weeks. S then made scones. He did the whole thing. Whilst normally scones would take 10 mins to prepare it took S an hour and a half! I was a bit twitchy about it at first but then relaxed and realised it doesn't matter at all how long it takes him - this is the beauty of home school! He LOVED it and made some beautiful scones!
Today we have completed speech therapy homework and played a recycling game that I picked up in a charity shop! It was good fun and we discussed what recycling was, what you can recycle and then after the game watched a short you tube clip on how to recycle!
So - a busy week. Outwith official "home school" time S has started a swimming club, gone to his football training and our church kid's club and today it's the home ed network sports afternoon so there is definitely no lack of interaction with other kids this week!
So lessons learnt for both of us this week. S is beginning to understand (I think....) the need to not be so negative (we have introduced the "incredible emotional scale" today which I explained to him) and I am also beginning to understand that in a different way to S! I'm hoping today to finish prep for next week and then start next week on a positive footing and go for it!
Found your blog :-) not read it all mind you and I am reading it backwards.
ReplyDeleteBest thing to remember is not to be to hard on yourself AND that your relationship with S is more important the math (any subject but "i love you more than math" was our mantra). The more you work with him the better you will get at pinning triggers and be more proactive. Educating children can be tricky for most of us but for some getting dressed etc, etc and probably a few more etcs is even harder.
Gillian