The Plan for Stephen

The plan for Stephen is to teach him to read.  Some how, some way, he is going to learn to read.  I have never had a child more compliant, more motivated.  And yet, it's just not clicking. He's finished Little Stories for Little Folks and the speller/phonics to go with it;completed all of Get Ready, Get Set, Go for the Code and Explode the Code 1 (with lots of hand holding), most of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and a smattering of alphaphonics. We've pulled out tricks of whole language and sight words to balance the intensive phonics. And still, there is no fluency. Poor dear, he's really frustrated.  And he sees Katie and Nicholas surpassing him in reading skills. I know that things will click, that he will read. But it might not be this year or even next year.  My job right now is to keep his interest high and to help him learn without constantly reminding him how hard it can be to acquire the knowledge he wants.

This summer, the reality is setting in.  I think we're looking at another child with special needs.  I'm noticing things, though they are not nearly so obvious as the first time around. This child is obedient and eager and compliant and uncomplaining.  But he is also distracted and he has very poor visual memory.

We'll do lots and lots of read alouds, because I am very certain that all those stories bear great, juicy fruit. We'll persevere with phonics practice, relying heavily on the moveable alphabet and pulling out Touchphonics to see if this intensive tactile approach will help him to see onsets and rimes instead of single letters. We'll create word walls and word banks and I'll re-acquaint myself with some of my favorite books, Phonics that Work and Teaching Reading and Writing with Word Walls.  It will be okay.

For handwriting, we'll make the switch away from a traditional Cahtolic handwriting program and back to Handwriting Without Tears.  I'm not sure what it is with my boys, but they need this very clean approach to forming letters. Later, we can return to beautiful script for copywork.

Much of Stephen's program will be similar to Nicholas' because (1) they are at about the same skill level and (2) they are inseparable anyway. He has already received his First Communion, so instead of a notebook for that, he'll work on a Catholic Mosaic liturgical year notebook and he'll continue to work on a Rosary book. I know all the stories of Catholic Mosaic will find their way into his heart.  There, they will do two things.  First, they will teach him to appreciate fine language and fine art and to write stories himself, even if he has to dictate them to me. The books will inspire him to write in some form or fashion.  I'll watch and listen and facilitate.  Secondly, they will touch his soul.  They'll become a part of his spiritual journey, companions towards heaven. This is education for real, education that matters.   He's very, very enthusiastic about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, so Moira's second guide will be his "religion spine" this year.

He's a very physical kid--he loves to climb and to play soccer and would much rather be outdoors than indoors. He's guaranteed to spend lots and lots of time in our backyard, ball at his feet and song in heart.

He's a science guy in a very inquisitive way and absolutely loves Animal Planet. He's already an enthusiastic bird watcher and he'll love every living book on nature we read.  I'll revisit our "Great Outdoors Booklist" (righthand sidebar) with him frequently this fall. Baby and I will be at home still and I know I won't be getting out into the woods with these busy boys, but the stories will take us there.  Truth be told, Stephen's pining for a camping trip, but I don't see it happening until next spring.  Hopefully, the baby will distract him a bit and soothe his disappointed soul.  So many summer things I promised in the spring when I thought that certainly I'd get that second trimester "great feeling" reprieve...  Nothing quite like the mommy-guilt of broken promises.

For math, it's going to be all tactile, almost all the time.  We'll use the same materials as Katie does and just bump along at a pace for Stephen.  I think I will also introduce him to the Touchmath way of doing things while I show Mary  Beth and Christian.

Mostly though, the plan for Stephen is for me to take lots and lots of time to be totally available to him.  He's quiet and obedient and never ruffles anyone's feathers.  He's also in the middle of a big family.  It's easy to lose him in the crowd. My goal is to not let him get lost. 

The Bonny Glen in the Heart of my Home

We had a little visit, a much-too-short-little visit with some of our favorite people.  It's been far too long since these children were all together.  We've even added a few since the last time (which is why it's been so long). I had such fun watching my Katie totally entranced with Rilla and Wonderboy.

 

After they left, she promptly renamed all of her dolls "Rilla." 

Nicholas was shy at first.  He has a tendency to want to rehearse everything he's going to say before he says it and so he is quiet in a crowd.  After he emerged from behind a chair, he disappeared with Beanie and the two became fast friends. He told me as we went to bed that she's his new best friend. It's no wonder, she's a curly-haired doll baby, cutie pie.  She told me as they were leaving, "I'm not very happy about this."  Me neither, sweetheart.  Me neither.

We made the most of the time we had and I kept reminding myself not to shadow the sunny days with the dark cloud of their imminent 3000 mile move.

So there was one last,  great sleepover in the princess bed, followed by a great morning. (Beanie gives really good morning hugs!)

And then there was goodbye.  Saddest of all was the hug Jane gave Mary Beth.  I think that Lissa and I were both worried that they'd never let go.  Or maybe that they would and we'd both give in to welling tears.

San Diego is such a long, long way away. It's a good thing we both love to write and an even better thing that our children seem to have inherited the passion.

Free Unit Studies

Maureen at the Thrifty Homsechooler has posted about a site with free unit studies.  There are also free unit studies here, and here and here, at Real Learning--just look down the lefthand sidebar for Rabbit Trails and Reading Journeys. There are several more in the works!  I'm a huge advocate of this kind of sharing.  Unit studies are a great way to learn together as a family and collaborating on the planning of unit studies is a wonderful way to support each other in this educational endeavor.

Carnival of Education

The Carnival of Education is posted at Education Wonks.  Real Learning is tickled to be included.

Are You a Busybody?

I happened upon an article by Stacy McDonald that I thought so important as the new school year begins.  She points out how women, especially, are prone to being sucked into the pit of "busybody-ness."  And it's being a busybody that can be one of our greatest downfalls.  Women who have all the best Christian intentions, and even tell themselves they are practicing charity as they involve themselves in the lives of other people, are likely to be duped by the Evil One and ultimately distracted from their work at home.  It's a really fine line between charity and the sin of what ultimately becomes a foolish, idle, poor stewardship of time.  We need to be careful that we aren't so involved in the affairs of others--even when we think we're meeting an urgent need--that we neglect our duties at home.  As important as service is, we need to ensure the education of our children, both academically and spiritually, before we look outside our homes to "save the world."  We need to look well to the ways of our home, make sure our living spaces our pleasant and comfortable, our meals are cooked, our husbands have clean socks, before throwing ourselves into apostolic ventures (formal or informal) to the detriment of our own families and the peace that the Lord has asked us to safeguard at home.

One of the best ways Satan has to distract well-intentioned women from the primary apostolate of their families is to strew their paths with "needy people."  Needy people look like they just can't manage unless you drop everything and rescue them--you babysit on a moment's notice all the time; you bring meals; you rush to their aid leaving your own family to fend for themselves.  All because your own family doesn't look as needy to you as the "needy people."  (Or is it because the day-to-day faithful keeping at home doesn't provide quite the adrenaline rush or ego boost?) But if you continue being a busybody, the people at home will most certainly become needy.  A pattern of "apostolic neglect" in your own home will result in a academic lessons not even started, never mind finished, children who don't know the rhythm of an orderly day or week because "ordinary time" is always pre-empted by someone else's latest crisis.

I am not saying we should not serve.  We should serve--willingly and glady and with our whole hearts.  But we should not be so caught up in the drama of the needs of other people that we miss the very real needs of the people in our care.  Mrs. MacDonald calls it "idleness."  At first glance, it doesn't look like idleness.  Usually, busybodies are in perpetual motion and they will tell you just how busy they have been saving everyone else.  But it is idleness because our hands, and hearts, and minds are not at work doing what God really intends us to do:  care well for our own families.  And so, we tell ourselves we are teaching our children to serve but what we are really teaching them are false priorities and how to neglect our calling for something else. We are teaching them frantic motion instead of peaceful, orderly service and the quiet that is necessary to hear what God really wants us to do.

Mrs. Macdonald offers a self-check so we can be sure we're not "busybodies."

1. A busybody is more concerned with other people's matters than she is her own. You will notice that she knows everything about everyone. She has the "scoop" on just about anyone you mention. 1 Peter. 4:3
2. A busybody is disorderly. Her house will be disorganized. Housework will be overwhelming and children will most likely be out of control. (By the way, not everyone who doesn't have or hasn't been taught organizational skills is a busybody!) 2 Thessalonians. 3:11
3. A busybody does not do the work that God has called her to do. She either refuses to do what should be done or is too tired or overwhelmed to complete any one task properly. Either housework, requests from her husband, or family business tasks will not be tended to because she has been busy learning to be idle. [I would add here that schoolwork does not happen consistently.] 2 Thessalonians 3:11
4. A busybody learns to be idle. How do we "learn" a specific "skill?" Practice! A busybody will consistently ignore her God-given tasks and will in fact "learn" to be idle. You will notice that they seem to be constantly "busy" although nothing ever gets done! They seem to be frantic and tired most days, but if you check with their families, they have nothing to show for their busyness! 1 Timothy 5:13
5. A busybody goes from house to house "tattling." We can go from "house to house" in many ways these days! We have the telephone, fax machine, grocery store, homeschooling groups, playgroups, church, and the most dangerous - email!!!!

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