It's been a big week for me in the world of home schooling! Our learning curve has gone steeply up but I am feeling we have finally made some significant progress!
Last week the ed psych came to visit us. Since coming out of the "system" we don't have formal visits anymore but thankfully the ed psych agreed to continue to work with us, giving me some very valuable professional advice if and when I need it. Thursday's visit was such an encouragement and helpful visit. She agreed to look at some of S's work and gave me some pointers as to the quantity of work and simple things as to the presentation of his tasks. I wasn't overly surprised when she told me I was doing too much with him and that I was putting far too much on a page for him. It seemed so obvious when she pointed it out that I felt a bit daft but was immediately quite motivated to do something about it!
The way I have always taught, whether that be in a formal classroom set up or in a Sunday school set up or anywhere, is to produce my own materials. I work at my best when I know exactly what is behind a question and understand the logic behind the topic. I've carried this on with S but am beginning to have to admit that this is not working for him! My mind doesn't work like his! My learning style is not his! My strengths are not the same as his and likewise my weaknesses are not his! I feel like I have had quite a significant wake up call in how to teach! Again, you can get away almost with teaching a large class in a certain way. There are bound to be a certain number of pupils who click with your particular style of teaching and learning. On a one-to-one basis though there is no hiding! After chatting with the ed psych I have decided to take a different approach and have ordered in some new text books which are well written and look attractive and mean that I can pace the work far more appropriately!
So, this week our new approach started! What a difference! Please don't get me wrong - it's not been plain sailing! It'll take a while for S's negativity towards any sort of "work" being mentioned to be changed but our actual time learning has been really quite good! He has really enjoyed the drop in the amount of work I am asking him to do (not surprisingly really!) and is finding the level far more appropriate! He said to me yesterday (completely unprompted), "mum, you are getting to be a better teacher! At first you were a good teacher. The second day you were not so good, the third day even more not so good and by the fifth you were rubbish! You are getting better now!" and then today he offered me one of his special sweets as a reward for becoming a "better teacher"! Fortunately, I learned fairly early on in the home schooling process to develop a thick skin! I have to laugh!
So this week we've done a fair bit of learning even though he thinks he's done less! We've benefitted hugely from the flexibility of home schooling. We've started to look at measuring - length, mass and volume and have had great fun measuring things from all over the house and finished by making custard creams - when S got to measure all the ingredients. We've done some reading, looked at commas, studied the sun, looked at spelling -ing words, worked on mental arithmetic and plenty more!
One thing I am really struck with now is how much I really KNOW my son. We as parents pride ourselves, and rightly so, on the fact that we "know" our children best! I've been really challenged by how little I did really know my son. When it came to learning I knew so little about S! I have realised that for all those hours when he was packed off to school I handed over such a big chunk of his time to other people! I am really having to work hard at learning just what does go on in his head! I'm learning what and who S really is in EVERY aspect of his life and am valuing him more and more every day! I feel that I am beginning to really KNOW my son! It makes me feel quite guilty that with my other 3 I quite happily open the door in the morning and hand them over to other people for really quite a significant part of each day and for these people to take on quite a significant part of their learning and life! I don't ever want to become one of these home educators who insists everyone should be home schooling because I don't believe that. School is definitely the right place for my other 3 children to be but I have been really challenged to look at what it is I really value about my children and what it is I really want to encourage them to be. Do I want them to do well academically for my pride or is it for their well being? Do I want them to cope at school because I want people to think I'm a good parent or is it because I want them to "fit in" or is it because I want them to be happy? Of course I want them to be happy - but how much of parenting is really tied in with me? How much do I insist on with my children because of what it makes me look like rather than what is for their well being and their development? I don't think I am maybe expressing myself very well here but I'm sure you are getting the idea! The joys of blogging!
Anyway, all in all I'm feeling very positive about home schooling just now. I cannot believe we are only 3 weeks away from the end of another term! If we can really get into a "new" way of working it will be so good! I'd better stop now! Well done if you've made it to the end of today's ramble!
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