We have such challenges with my BigGuy.  Specifically, challenging him.  Let me preface this post with the following:

Honestly and truly, if I thought the schools could address his needs and I couldn’t, he’d be at school.

But I had this conversation with a friend recently about how hard it is to meet BigGuy’s needs when it comes to science.  He’s just WAY. OUT. THERE. when it comes to science.  We talked about the options, but there really aren’t any for my guy; and I think the last 4 years of moving combined with a less-than-supportive-or-encouraging (to say the very least) untreated PTSD mom has moulded him into a child who is not thinking up ideas with the mindset that he might actually be able to pursue them.  I believe I may have mean-mom’d him completely out of that.  I have no delusion that school would rekindle that fire in him, let alone allow him to follow those thoughts.  You’re talking about a system that doesn’t let kids check books out if they’re above a kid’s grade level (seriously–a friend had this happen to her kid).

Could he take a 100-level college biology class?  He COULD understand the college level bio, but he’s still a 10yo boy and wants that level of information delivered in a fun and engaging way.  That’s not a college class.  It’s not even a high school class.  It’s certainly not the level of science he’ll get in a 5th grade class where it’s fun and engaging; but certainly not teaching him anything new.

This is the crux of all of our issue with my BigGuy: meet him where he is at both academically, but also emotionally.  Because he is 10.  And I want him to be able to be 10.  And I want him to love learning cool stuff.  But stuff that he DOESN’T already know.

We’ve taken a bit of time off as we prepared for and endured Papa having some surgery.  But we’re also due to be back on track starting tomorrow.  And Mama is looking for cool stuff for the boy to do.