Another Dys...

I've said before that I always knew Rebecca was Dyslexic.  When we got the diagnosis of severely Dyslexic, I was not surprised.  They also found that she was moderately Dysgraphic.  This did catch me off guard mostly because I had never heard of Dysgraphia before.  However, after immediately coming home and researching it, I could absolutely see that she was in fact Dysgraphic.  As the years passed, I had this feeling that there was more.  Her perception seems to be off.  She falls while standing still.  She has difficulty judging steps and heights.  And, she is just all around clumsy and messy.  I did some digging and found she has some symptoms of Dyspraxia.  More time went on and all of a sudden we have hit a new brick wall - Math!  Ugh!!!  I have tried everything and it's just not sinking in.  Even the easiest addition problem is a fight.  Rebecca confuses the symbols +-x easily, uses the wrong sign, forgets to carry over, and misplaces digits.  Are we now also dealing with Dyscalculia?  Should we be testing her?  Or hold off as we did with the Dyspraxia?  These are the questions swirling around my head these days.   I understand that many people think it is detrimental to put labels on kids.  I disagree - well at least in our case.  Having Rebecca's labels help her.  Yes, you heard that right - help.  She uses it as a way to lighten her issues.  When she makes a spelling mistake, turns right instead of left, skips small words while reading, or trips on a feather, she giggles and says in a singing voice "Dyslexiaaaaa".  It's almost like it reminds her that there is nothing wrong with her; there is a reason she makes these seemingly silly mistakes.  We can laugh about her quirks.  She is not embarrassed by her learning difference because she knows it is a part of her, but it does not define who she is.  Currently, we are on a downward spiral in math.  Looks like we might need to put a name on what's going on to help her get her self esteem back to where it should be again.

Peaks and Valleys

For me, homeschooling hits a fair share of peaks and valleys and rarely sits in the middle.  At the moment, we are at a peak as things are going very well.  Last week - a valley.  It changes often, probably depending quite a bit on Rebecca's mood as well as my own.  I have a difficult time sticking with one plan day in and day out.  When we hit our valleys, I become frustrated and often times throw in the towel on what we are working on.  Maybe I should give it more time, but it becomes difficult when it becomes a daily battle.  Changing things up every few weeks works for me.  I sometimes come back to the things that failed in the past since I never throw any of it away.  Some of it continues to collect dust on the shelf.  I think it keeps school fresh for Rebecca too. Change can be difficult and scary, but sometimes it is a good thing.

Grading Day

Today is grading day.  The end of the semester is this week, so grades are due.  I have been procrastinating this for weeks!  I find it difficult to grade Rebecca for several reasons.  I am hard on her.  When I first started homeschool,  decided to go through a public charter school, and learned that I would be grading her I thought it was a joke.  Of course she would be getting straight A's!  Well, as it turns out, I am not that kind of parent/teacher.  I know exactly what she knows and what she doesn't know.  The grades I give her reflect it.  But at times I think I look at the criteria too literally.  It's not an easy job to rate someones academic performance!  I stared at her blank report card for a long time before jumping in.  I changed my mind several times.  There are scratched out numbers and notes all over that piece of paper.  But in the end, I think it accurately shows where Rebecca's strengths and weaknesses lay.  I question my decision about homeschooling every now and then.  Report card period is one of those times.  But in my heart, I know that Rebecca would not be getting this kind of education in a site-based program.  I get outside help when she needs it.  I change the curriculum based on how it works (or doesn't work) for her.  I am providing her with an extremely appropriate and integrated education suited to her learning style.  I may not know exactly what I am doing, but I do my best.

Dyslexic Solutions

I sure love Rebecca.  She is a wise soul - almost like an adult in a little 10 year old body.  She is wise beyond her years at times.  Tonight, she and I are sitting on the couch while Bill is helping Drew with her math homework.  They were stuck on a problem where the solution was 12, but Drew kept writing 21.  Bill would erase it and tell her to try again, and again Drew would put down 21.  She knew she was doing it wrong, but just couldn't get the correct answer written down.  Bill was becoming frustrated.  Rebecca and I made eye contact, and she mouthed "Dyslexia".  So, I asked her what the solution for this particular situation is.  If a dyslexic person is struggling to get the correct number or word written down, but it keeps coming out wrong, how should we help them get it right.  She thought about it a long time, then said "Drew says "12", so we know she knows the correct answer. Daddy should write the "12" down on another piece of paper and let Drew copy it".  Is this girl smart or what!?!?  She just amazes me.  Why didn't I think of that?

Independent Work

For the last year, Rebecca and I have sit side by side for ALL of her work.  She requires the individual attention to keep her focused.  Without it, she can easily become distracted and forget her objective.  However, independent work is an essential skill for her to learn.  So this week, we are re-introducing homework.  I'm not sure how it will fly, but it's something she must do.  I will still be sitting with her for daily school work, but at the end of the day she will be given additional tasks she will need to complete on her own.  What I am going to try first is giving her a packet of stuff that she can work on all week.  I am sure there are days she will be more focused than others, so hopefully this will alleviate added stress if she knows she can put it down and start again the next day - as long as it's done by Friday.  Fingers crossed we are successful.  I know she is ready for this.  I hope she knows it...

Back to School

Winter break is over and school is back in full swing. I love coming back from a long break. I find myself more motivated to teach again and Rebecca more willing to learn. The other thing I love is starting new curriculum. I tend to purchase a new workbook or 2 (or7 in the case of this break) during our breaks. They excite and re-motivate me. The books arrive days before the break ends, so it's like starting fresh. I have several books I'm still waiting on, but did receive all the new math I wanted to try.

Rebecca struggles in math. She has very weak working memory and rapid recall therefore learning math facts is difficult, not to mention frustrating. Imagine being in 5th grade and still learning addition and subtraction. We've had success with Times Tales for multiplication, but division is like another language. So, for the rest of this year, I've decided to give Rebecca a rest from the facts. I've given her a calculator and we are moving on.

Math Mammoth is what we are working out of and even though we have the general 5th grade workbook, I've decided to break things down a bit. We will be working on decimals, fractions, measuring and geometry. I really like Math Mammoth! It really breaks down each area and offers lots of practice before moving on. Now comes the hard part - deciding which book to start with...

My Dyslexic Daughter(s???)

I think I always knew Rebecca was Dyslexic.  When we got the results from her diagnostic testing four years ago, I cried for days - not because she was severely dyslexic and moderately dysgraphic, but because I felt some kind of relief that I wasn't crazy.  It was easy to accept her diagnosis because I already knew what I needed to do.  I could handle advocating for one dyslexic child.  But two?  I think my youngest  is Dyslexic.  I've had my suspicions for awhile now, but not the same way I knew about Rebecca.  Drew shows many signs of being dyslexic.  She is in the second grade and is struggling to read.  She is below grade level by at least one full grade.  Spelling is a challenge, she reverses and transverses letters often.  She doesn't seem to hear some sounds in words and adds random letters to a word when sounding it out (she adds the letter 'Y' to the end of nearly every word).  But unlike Rebecca, she is very good at math, has a strong working memory, and fantastic coordination and balance.  

So, here is the thing.  I am in a daily argument with myself about what to do.  I am dragging my feet with Drew and I am not sure why.  I'm not sure what direction to take with her.  Do I get her tested?  It is very expensive and the test itself didn't do anything for Rebecca.  The school basically threw it aside and refused to do their own testing for years as she wasn't far enough behind.  Dyslexia isn't considered a specific learning disability in California, so the test is just a piece of paper and peace of mind for me.  Maybe a private assessment isn't the way to go this time around.  But then, how do I know I am doing the right thing for her if I am not sure what the "problem" is. (**By the way, I do NOT see dyslexia as a problem - I just couldn't think of another way to word that.  After working with Rebecca for a year at home, I sometimes wish I had a little dyslexia in me :)**)  Do I just move forward under the assumption that Drew is dyslexic?  Do I keep her in public school longer to see if she improves?  She has an amazing teacher.  But Rebecca had the same amazing teacher and I regret not pulling her sooner than the fourth grade.  Here is my chance to get an earlier start with Drew.  So what's stopping me?   I am not sure she will like being at home.  Rebecca is the one who asked to learn at home.  Drew is very social and head strong.  But she also has a strong desire to learn - maybe even more so than Rebecca.  Is keeping her in public school a selfish decision on my part?  Home schooling one child is challenge enough.  I am just getting into a routine that works for Rebecca and me.  Adding another child into the mix would change everything - like starting from scratch.  I just don't know what to do...