Challenging your Homeschooled Child
When we first began our homeschool journey my children had been in the public school system. They both struggled with different areas.
My oldest was put in Special Education classes because it was determined that he had a learning disability. We were never told exactly what this disability was, only that he was reading below grade level.
I have come to the conclusion that my son was never challenged to read in the public school system. Granted, I think a lot of it had to do with his attitude.
When we started homeschooling I was determined to get him reading at his grade level. We started when he was in the middle of seventh grade. His literature selections at first were from the fourth grade curriculum. It was easy reading for him and helped build his confidence, but he was still reading very slowly. We decided to use a speed reading course to help him with his reading speed.
When we started using the speed reading for kids course he was amazed at how easy it was and it realy boosted his confidence. He was so excited by his speed reading ability that he started devouring all the books(at fourth grade level) that we could find. Gradually I started increasing the level of difficulty of his reading material. The keyword here is gradually. He would read at least five books at each grade level before I increased the difficulty. I'm proud to say that now my son in in eigth grade and reading at a ninth grade level.
The whole point to this rambling post is that I don't feel the public school system was challenging my son to increase his readiing ability. They were enabling him to stay at the same reading level with all the "special" treatment he recieved. Tests were read aloud to him and more time was allowed for testing. They never expected him to read anything for himself.
Challenge your children to progress. You'll be suprised by what they can accomplish. If excellence is expected it will be pursued.
2 comments:
Sounds like a great success story. I'd like to add another angle. When I brought my then-fourth grader home from school, he was very discouraged with reading and did not have any fluency, tho' he could technically be said to be on grade level. He had gone from being very excited about learning to read to hating it. That was what most worried me.
So we took the opposite approach. I did not have him read at ALL. I did not discuss reading strategies, and I did no instruction. I just read to him. For a year, I read and read and read and read.
And then he read. And read and read and read and read. Fluency came during his "fallow" year, during a time of not being forced to read.
I believe that reading "in public" and being put on the spot to retain everything about what he read for such things as "accelerated reader" had raised the stakes so high that he had no enjoyment of reading and was nervous about making any error. I also think it's possible he just wasn't "ready" yet; that his "wiring" was to be a late bloomer. I'd encourage folks who think they may have this kind of child to read Dr. Moore's Better Late Than Early.
Today he's an 18 year old who reads well and constantly.
Your story and mine just go to show why homeschooling works -- because parents are free to do what works best for their children, even if the approaches are very different!
I agree 100% Jeanne. The reason homeschooling works, parents can do what is best for each individual child not 30 at a time.
I'm glad to hear how you chose to deal with your situation and happy that it worked well for you.
Good for you! Thanks for posting.
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