BigGuy is still a-twitter about going to the state-sponsored math and science academy when he’s old enough. Knowing my son, I made sure to preemptively strike his negative side and discuss the alternate plans if he didn’t get in. It would be very much like him to be working very hard and push himself only to talk himself into being lazy with the excuse that “he might not get in anyway”.
Oy… did mama get a lesson toDAY. People, lemme tell you something: my Master’s is in Secondary Education with a specialty area of Education Technology. I taught high school in the business department and that included (other people) teaching office productivity applications and an end-to-end systems architecture overview (which I taught) but it did not include teaching typing, netiquette or some of the other ins and outs of collaborating or learning online.
And you do not learn this well on your own. This is how I found out…
Last spring, our school district and two others started a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) charter school. The kids had to qualify for the lottery; but homeschoolers and private schoolers were not allowed into the lottery. BigGuy saw the trailer for the new school and was out of his mind with excitement that was quickly squashed. He even asked me “if I go to the regular school for a year, THEN would I be allowed to go to the STEM charter?” It was heart-breaking to see him so moved only to be so knocked down… because he’s a homeschooler.
This is not a proud day for Mama, and that’s okay with me. We all have those days. Those days where our parenting behavior is just not stellar or admirable or what we aspire to in any way.
That being said, having one of those days every once in a while (usually) doesn’t end up harming anyone; and sometimes–it even provokes some change in the people around you. Time will tell if that is the result of today’s experiences, but a mama can hope… Continue reading This is what a bad day looks like
Girly is neurotypical. In the world of special needs, this is abbreviated as “NT”. It means that there has been no significant concern or disruption in her development. That is not BigGuy’s history. As a result, we are often pretty taken with some of the things that “just happen” with Girly because it wasn’t our experience with BigGuy.
Continue reading It’s weird to have a neurotypical (NT) kid sometimes
Back in the spring, after years of dietary interventions and ruling out other things that can look like ADD/ADHD and lots of struggling with what looked like a VERY bright but unmotivated kid, BigGuy had a huge battery of psychological testing done so we had a better clue of what he was capable of. These included the Connor’s Test–which is supposed to be an objective way to determine whether a child has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). BigGuy’s results weren’t even borderline–he clearly did NOT have an attention disorder.
The psychologist that did all the testing was as surprised as we were given what he observed during the testing. None the less, BigGuy was clearly able to focus when he needed to. The psychologist said that BigGuy’s problem was actually impulse control. All I could think of was “Isn’t it an attention problem if you can’t control your impulses?!?!?”
Continue reading It’s not attention deficit, it’s impulse control
So, this is the part where I ask each of the kids what exactly they want to learn about. Because they’re kids. They change their minds. And Mama hasn’t exactly managed to get too deeply into the things they asked about in the summer time. So… MULLIGAN!
And it starts with swimming. Our state is mercifully lax on homeschool laws. No registration, no number of days, no testing… just that you teach in the English language and at some point during the year, cover 7 subjects (with no dictate about how much time you spend on any of them). Welcome to “Physical Development and Health”.
Oh, friends… oh, oh friends… Have you ever eaten just SO poorly for SO long that you don’t actually have to TRY to start eating healthier again–your body just rejects anything that’s crap? Because I am so there, people. And I’m thankful.
This picture? That Nutella-filled strudel? No, no… that wasn’t what put me over the top. That was insanity in a little piece of wax paper. The kids shared one because it is total contraband, but it was Nutella–who can say no to that? I can. Mine was cheese stuffed. But I couldn’t deny my kids because my husband is from Brooklyn where Nutella is apparently a right of passage.
So, there was an interesting topic recently in a homeschool forum and somewhere along the way, a friend posted:
My mom is a recruiter, and has tried to find jobs for people with PhD’s before, because they can’t even find work in their field. It’s sobering. “Doing what you love” is great, but doesn’t always pay the bills.
It occurred to me that people have a misconception about what “do what you love” means…
Continue reading “What they love” vs. “what feeds their soul”
Educated Adventures 