December 18, 2013
10:48 PM
Have you noticed any big changes in Jay's overall personality since you began homeschooling?
Several, to say the least. He's developed so many strengths over these last few months. It really blows my mind when I compare him to how he was a year ago. His speech, writing, concentration, interaction, and analyzing skills have skyrocketed! In one of my previous blogs I discussed his sessions with his speech pathologist. His vocabulary has picked up. He can hold extended conversations and express thoughts, ideas, and dreams in detail. His speech pathologist is helping him to apply the correct pronunciation of certain letters he previously had a rough time with in everyday conversation.
Jay is also able to work more independently. At the beginning of the school year, I had to go through each section with him. Now, I can teach the lesson and go tend to one of my chores knowing that he'll complete his assignments. I have to call out to him to finish his work every 10 minutes, but it's a work in progress. *Lol* He still has a hard time dealing with distractions, but honestly, everyone does. I like to give him a chance to burn off some energy by turning up the music, singing until our lungs give out, and dancing until we've formed blisters. We have so much fun doing that! It's a great mood-booster and it reminds Jay that learning at home will always be relaxed. It's good for me, too, because I find that I'm on the edge a lot more. Madison is walking now and getting into E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!! It's incredibly stressful, because the challenge of homeschooling a school-aged child while taking care of a baby/toddler rears its head.
Speaking of challenges, Stephan and I are now dealing with Jay showing off his a-word. Yep. You guess right. His attitude. This has nothing to do with homeschooling. This is just apart of parenting experiences. Period. Because this is something new to us as parents, we're trying out different methods of...I dunno. Dealing with it, I guess. We find that good, old fashioned punishment is the best, so far. Jay is all about his electronics and gadgets, so those are the first to go. When those go, he usually straightens up quickly. We always give him the opportunity to earn back what he's lost. He's quick to apologize and admit when he's at fault. He shows remorse for a wrongful act. We have discussions about why a specific action was wrong and what the bible says about it. It's two-fold, though. There are times in which Stephan and I are wrong. We have to humble ourselves, admit that we're wrong, and apologize to Jay. For example, I can get loud and yell at him for something so minute. I overreact-a lot. So, I will apologize to him and explain why I was wrong. I don't want him to grow up felling like he doesn't have a voice, an opinion, or that he's always going to be wrong because he's young and inexperienced.
Jay is just such a laid-back guy. He enjoys complex ideas and process, like computer coding, for example. Last week code.org had an event going on for anyone who wanted to participate. Basically, they teach you an hour of code. It's really fun! I did it. Stephan did it. Even our six-year-old did it! My first grader understands the concept of computer coding! I didn't learn that until I was in the 10th grade! Like Daddy Stephan, Jay enjoys gaming- Playstation 4 games, computer games, LeapPad games, you name it. At the same time, Jay is still a child at heart. He is imaginative and can transform any given item into some grand in his mind. He's really special. We're so proud of how far he's come thus far.
Thanks be to the Lord for all the wonderful things He's done!
Jay is also able to work more independently. At the beginning of the school year, I had to go through each section with him. Now, I can teach the lesson and go tend to one of my chores knowing that he'll complete his assignments. I have to call out to him to finish his work every 10 minutes, but it's a work in progress. *Lol* He still has a hard time dealing with distractions, but honestly, everyone does. I like to give him a chance to burn off some energy by turning up the music, singing until our lungs give out, and dancing until we've formed blisters. We have so much fun doing that! It's a great mood-booster and it reminds Jay that learning at home will always be relaxed. It's good for me, too, because I find that I'm on the edge a lot more. Madison is walking now and getting into E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!! It's incredibly stressful, because the challenge of homeschooling a school-aged child while taking care of a baby/toddler rears its head.
Speaking of challenges, Stephan and I are now dealing with Jay showing off his a-word. Yep. You guess right. His attitude. This has nothing to do with homeschooling. This is just apart of parenting experiences. Period. Because this is something new to us as parents, we're trying out different methods of...I dunno. Dealing with it, I guess. We find that good, old fashioned punishment is the best, so far. Jay is all about his electronics and gadgets, so those are the first to go. When those go, he usually straightens up quickly. We always give him the opportunity to earn back what he's lost. He's quick to apologize and admit when he's at fault. He shows remorse for a wrongful act. We have discussions about why a specific action was wrong and what the bible says about it. It's two-fold, though. There are times in which Stephan and I are wrong. We have to humble ourselves, admit that we're wrong, and apologize to Jay. For example, I can get loud and yell at him for something so minute. I overreact-a lot. So, I will apologize to him and explain why I was wrong. I don't want him to grow up felling like he doesn't have a voice, an opinion, or that he's always going to be wrong because he's young and inexperienced.
Jay is just such a laid-back guy. He enjoys complex ideas and process, like computer coding, for example. Last week code.org had an event going on for anyone who wanted to participate. Basically, they teach you an hour of code. It's really fun! I did it. Stephan did it. Even our six-year-old did it! My first grader understands the concept of computer coding! I didn't learn that until I was in the 10th grade! Like Daddy Stephan, Jay enjoys gaming- Playstation 4 games, computer games, LeapPad games, you name it. At the same time, Jay is still a child at heart. He is imaginative and can transform any given item into some grand in his mind. He's really special. We're so proud of how far he's come thus far.
Thanks be to the Lord for all the wonderful things He's done!
