SarahW Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I guess turning 8 was all it took for BA to click with him. I had him take a break from the multiplication/division in MM by going back to BA 3A and doing some of the challenge problems we skipped when we started it last fall. Now he wants to read ALL the guides. And last night I caught him making an 11's chart with a picture of Grog. I own all of 3. It's no problem if I just let him (obsessively) read all the guides while we're still working on practice problems in 3A, is it? In other effects of turning 8, we had been trucking along nicely in a linear fashion, but now there's growing resistance, except for Latin, Greek, and now BA. I think he is priming for another jump. But, but, but, I had planz! Sigh. lol. I'm not sure where exactly to go... When this happens does it make sense to just cut back to bare basics for a few weeks, and wait and see where he ends up and then consider options? Or start throwing different things at him and see what sticks? I don't know...and btdt words of wisdom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 There was not a lot of real linear progression around here at that age. I let DC go as deeply as they wanted in different areas, which amounted to a lot of fits and spurts. After intense interest in math for a while, oldest DD would want a break. Then she'd follow the next thing with the same vigor. Her progression in subjects in the early years was more like go through three levels intensely then break and so on. Her siblings basically followed suit. I just went with it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Oh I do hope he picks improving handwriting next. I'm so done with him jabbing at the page with his pencil like a woodpecker! I wish he had one of those electronic signs in his forehead, so instead of me trying to decipher "I don't like this anymore" the sign will clearly tell me "I'm ready for X! Feed me!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Sorry to say of all of my children's fixations, handwriting has never been one of them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Earlier this school year I came to terms with the fact that it just is not going to be linear and I'm going to have to suck it up. I toiled through eight and nine with the fits and starts like you are describing, and by ten it finally sunk in (there may or may not have been a bit of a panic attack involved.) What I have discovered is that my son always seems to circle back. I tend to worry about my plans being unfulfilled, but if I just take a breath, he will come back to whatever subject has been dropped. So take heart, your plans are not unimportant. They are ready and waiting when he decides to be interested. As for the dropping stuff and getting geeked out on certain subjects, I say go for it. It helps to allow for these sorts of personal inspiration. Telling him to trudge through is a bit like saying, "take initiative, but only where I want you too." One thing that seemed to work well for us was to start talking to Ds about the fact that the subjects he was pushing aside were not going away. He needed to be aware that as a well rounded person, they were necessary. It did not mean they couldn't take a back burner, but Not to leave them in the dust completely. Secondly, I also asked him to be a bit aware of when a subject was losing its zest. I cannot say that these seeds of introspection burst into a wonderfully articulate person who could self direct, but it did lead to some good discussions by year nine and this year has really helped Ds articulate when he is backing off just because something is hard or because he is intimidated about asking for help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Thanks EoO. I've been contemplating this over the weekend, and re-evaluating. Everything. Again. :laugh: I think I have been focusing too much on shoring up his "weaknesses." I wanted to make sure he was at least "on level" everywhere, and that's been hampering what he's good at. Maybe if I let him spend most of his time on stuff he likes, he'll bring up his weak areas quite a bit on his own? Then is it just a matter of me eventually making sure he's completed that skill at some point? I mean, if he spends most of the day doing BA, Latin, and Greek, it's not like those are the only skills he'll learn, right? I just dread the idea that he could be hampered from what he wants to do because of an area of weakness. But, he's young, there's still time to shore up areas as he gets to them, yes? Mostly thinking out loud here. The siggy will probably change at the end of the week. ;) Being responsible for a person's education is hard. Especially when that person is odd! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I mean, if he spends most of the day doing BA, Latin, and Greek, it's not like those are the only skills he'll learn, right? I just dread the idea that he could be hampered from what he wants to do because of an area of weakness. But, he's young, there's still time to shore up areas as he gets to them, yes? Mostly thinking out loud here. The siggy will probably change at the end of the week. ;) Being responsible for a person's education is hard. Especially when that person is odd! :lol: You really can't go wrong with emphasizing math and classical languages. There are so many things learned through these studies. It's amazing to watch how it all unfolds as they get older. He'll figure out those other areas in his time. :) I am fortunate to see how all of this has coalesced in my daughters, and I am hanging on for dear life (with all too frequent panic attacks and a sense of inadequacy) with DS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 You really can't go wrong with emphasizing math and classical languages. There are so many things learned through these studies. It's amazing to watch how it all unfolds as they get older. He'll figure out those other areas in his time. :) I am fortunate to see how all of this has coalesced in my daughters, and I am hanging on for dear life (with all too frequent panic attacks and a sense of inadequacy) with DS. Tell me more about the unfolding, please? :bigear: Since my kid has an interest in Latin and Greek, and that is actually one of his interests I feel confident in, I feel drawn to the LCC style for him. But it is hard for me to let go of the WTM idea of doing ALL the subjects ALL the time (to drastically paraphrase my personal paraphrase). I theoretically know that A) he picks up new ideas quickly and remembers concepts easily and B) he is capable of learning quite a bit on his own. But there's always more good stuff in curriculum-land! lol. I know that a focus on math and Latin will produce something good. But I'm not sure what that "something good" really looks like. The MP articles extolling Latin and the progym are nice and all...but I'm not sure how many HLS students go on to become civil engineers or computer scientists (the real IRL interests of my kid). I understand what the end result of WTM is, but LCC I'm not certain. And uncertainty make me nervous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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