How do you let go of how you wish it could be?

[CyndiLJ]

Hi everyone!

 

New to the boards here and new to homeschooling this past September. We have a complicated homeschooling situation, here it is:

 

Matthew, age 11, beginning 6th grade, working at or above grade level

Angela, age 12, and her bio sister Olesya, age 10,adopted from Kazakhstan 4 months ago, ELL learner and big gaping holes in their base knowledge...but bright.

Kenny, age 12, adopted 3 years ago, ELL learner, recently diagnosed with auditory processing disorder/severe memory challenges, speech delays due to cleft, reading at 1st grade level and "stuck" there but a really bright kid as well working at grade level in math.

Joshua, age 7, beginning 2nd grade, working at or above grade level.

 

Matthew and Josh came home as infants and are actually quite excellerated in some areas. The others are all over the map! Hahaha!

 

I am struggling internally with letting go of how I wish I could educate them all, because A) We started too late with homeschooling to do rotations of things and even in my excellerated students I am stunned at what ground was not covered and B) It is impossible to go back for 10-12 year old kiddos and give them all they missed.

 

We will never be where I wish we were with history/social studies, and it will easily be a couple of years...if we are lucky...before we can be where we can do some serious reading. I am finding it hard to let go of what I know my kids would have been capable of, and of what material we will miss. Looking at planning out years in the future, we will barely cover all the basics at a more basic level..which they need...and will have to rush through some areas to cover what we can.

 

It is almost a little bit of a grief process, which sounds silly, but is accurate for me.

 

I have a 12 year old daughter who is very sharp, but whose life was so limited she thinks mermaids and pirates are real, and that you can drive from Kazakhstan to America! I have a 12 year old son who until 3 years ago had never even turned on a light switch or ridden in a car. There is so much foundational work that needs to be done, it is almost depressing, and yet homeschooling IS our best answer and a gift!

 

I wonder if there are suggestions out there from you about how I can view their education from a different perspective. I read all the great curriculum others are using and know we can't even touch what some are doing in 3rd or 4th grade until some of ours are in high school. I am trying to gain a new perspective about covering material at certain levels rather than as deeply as I might if we were starting from scratch, but it is HARD and I feel like a failure often.

 

Thanks for any encouragement or advise!

 

Cindy:grouphug:

[tranquilmama]

Wow, mama! You've got a lot on your plate. I have no advice but rather a ton of empathy and appreciation for what you are doing for your children!!!

[Aludlam]

Just remember that your "job" is to teach them to love to learn. They have their whole lifetime to learn. Even if you had them from the beginning, you couldn't possibly teach them everything. You just need to light their spark.

 

:grouphug:

 

Angela

[FO4UR]

Keep your focus, "How can I love and serve THIS child THIS day?"

 

That's the best anyone can do.

[Gooblink]

Wow! Bless your heart. :grouphug:

 

I guess one thing to keep in perspective is that learning doesn't stop at 12th grade. :) I barely had any history or literature education in high school, but am immersing myself now.

 

What's the curriculum you've been looking at? Even if you did pure WTM method, you can really start anywhere and have all your kids working on the same history and science topics, adjusting the resources to their ages/abilities.

 

We're looking at adopting non-english speaking, older kids, too...so I'm interested in hearing how things go for you and what others advise.

[FloridaLisa]

Welcome to the boards! What a wonderful family you have!

 

These boards can be a great resource, but they can also be a source of angst. It's easy to scroll through thread and thread and get the idea that what others are doing is ideal. It's very likely not (I can tell you I *never* hit the ideal in our home). When I began educating many kids at different levels, I actually stayed away from threads of those with only one or two dc, much as I loved what they were doing. It just didn't help me to see how much time they had to invest in each child, when I felt spread so very thin.

 

 

I read all the great curriculum others are using and know we can't even touch what some are doing in 3rd or 4th grade until some of ours are in high school. I am trying to gain a new perspective about covering material at certain levels rather than as deeply as I might if we were starting from scratch, but it is HARD and I feel like a failure often.

 

Thanks for any encouragement or advise!

 

 

I encourage you to use the board as a resource; there are many others who have dc with learning or emotional issues. But, you need to spend some time visualizing your home and your dc and deciding what you want homeschool to look like in your home -- this year, for the next four years and possibly what you can accomplish by graduation with your olders. Sketch out a plan. Hold it loosely. Work on the core (emotional and relational stability; math, reading and writing) and add in extras only as it fits your family.

 

And I would encourage you, if you are a Christian, to use this fear, grief and sense of being overwhelmed to cry out to the Lord for His guidance. He is so loving and I have found Him utterly faithful in providing for us and ordering my priorities/schedule as we've homeschooled.

 

Many blessings to you!

Lisa

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

First :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: to you!

 

 

Number one-- stop reading other people siggys :001_smile:. You have a very unique situtaion- and one very few people would be strong enough for! You sound amazing!

 

I would recommend you do story of the world with all of them (you can easily do 2 books a year) along with light mapwork from that. For the more advanced kids you can beef it up with additional reading. Also as you are doing the mapwork, show on a world map the area of the world you are mapping. (continent, hemisphere, etc) There you have history and geography. Do not rush math! Find the program you want to do, test them to see where they are and just plug away. (We do math all year long- even on breaks so that might be an option) Have you heard of Spelling Power? It does not go by grade but by level- You use the book for all grades. Also megawords might be an option for the older kids. For language arts have you looked into LLATL? Or how about Classic Worktexts and Shakespeare Worktexts. That way they would get the classics at the apporpriate grade level. If you need phonics help- Rod and Staff has a very good remedial phonics program for very cheap. You do have to get the phonics flashcards with it. This is made for older kids. There are alot of good options for science Apologia, Gods Design for Science, Christian Kids Explore series. Any of that will prepare them for upper level science.:grouphug:

[2cents]

Wow! Bless your heart. :grouphug:

 

I guess one thing to keep in perspective is that learning doesn't stop at 12th grade. :) I barely had any history or literature education in high school, but am immersing myself now.

 

What's the curriculum you've been looking at? Even if you did pure WTM method, you can really start anywhere and have all your kids working on the same history and science topics, adjusting the resources to their ages/abilities.

 

We're looking at adopting non-english speaking, older kids, too...so I'm interested in hearing how things go for you and what others advise.

 

:iagree:

[johnandtinagilbert]

May God's grace guide your way. Start with today:) You can still use great materials for history, just do more read alouds as a group.

 

You'll be blown away at the potential for "catch up" once their english and reading take flight.

 

There is not one single perfect way, save the one designed just for them, so let go of how you think it might be done and search for what works best for them.

 

Block teaching may help you :)

 

Combine where you can.

 

Foundations in love...covers a multitude of sins :) and will ignite the spark mentioned by a pp.

 

YOU are amazing and the path God has called you to is inspiring. Enjoy your amazing family.

 

Remember, correcting old habits is harder, plain truth, but not impossible. You can do this. Have your grieving, then fill the space with gumption!

[Guest]

You will find many, many people with similar concerns on the special needs board, all of whom have had to let go of an ideal or dream homeschooling situation and work with what their kids actually have, in ways they can learn. Many of us have had to put historical cycles and such on the back burner in favor of helping our kids learn to get through the daily challenges of living first and foremost, then communication. We have a different set of priorities, and academics is only one component of the elements we all juggle to some extent or other, but special needs homeschooling parents moreso.

 

I think SWB would be the first to say no time is ever "too late" for the elements of her classical curriculum, if that is what you are drawn to. She talks about bringing kids home from public school at different points in their educations, and how to pick up the strands of classical ed from that point in midstream, so to speak. In her question-and-answer videos that are posted on the web, she talks about backing up, slowing down, and otherwise adjusting the processes of copywork, narration, and dictation to meet the needs of kids who cannot yet manage all that is written up in TWTM for their grade level. So if you truly love this model of education, you can certainly adapt pieces of it for your kids. It is true that it won't look like the plan for a typical child; but that's okay. It doesn't need to. It just needs to work for you and for them.

 

I think you are absolutely right that you need to grieve the loss of the ideal you had in your mind. It's similar to what parents go through who find their child has disabilities or unexpected medical complications. You have to put aside the fantasy of the child (or the homeschooling, or both), and that is definitely a grieving process. It's not that you don't absolutely love what you've got, with all your heart; it's still a loss, and it's necessary in my opinion to grieve it in order to put it behind and move forward.

 

Once you grieve, you need to set aside all comparisons with other people's kids on these boards. It's difficult to do that, but again, it's absolutely necessary. You'll see people on the boards writing periodically about feeling badly when their kids are average, when they don't do all the great things or advanced work others seem to do all the time. The performance gap is even bigger with learning disabilities, language issues, or whatever else is going on with special needs kids, and you'll only make yourself feel more miserable if you keep comparing. Another poster gave you a great response: it's what you can do for these specific children, this specific day, that matters, and matters very much. However you can accomplish what they need -- that's the best way to go.

 

Because your kids are all over the academic map, it's going to be hard to find a pre-set curriculum that will fit them all. You may find different bits and pieces of programs that work well; other bits and pieces won't work at all and you'll need to find your own way. Again, people on the special needs boards have a lot of experience doing this type of thing and are so generous in sharing their research, findings from doctors, curricula that work or don't work for certain conditions or syndromes. I'd encourage you to post there as well; you may get some very specific and detailed advice.

 

Anyway, welcome to the boards! I so much admire what you are doing with these children and would love to hear more about them. (I have a 14-year-old daughter with Asperger's Syndrome and/or Nonverbal Learning Disorder whom I have homeschooled since kindergarten.)

[Charmaine]

Cyndi,

 

I understand where you are coming from with "how you want it to be." I put so much pressure on myself when things in my homeschool don't look like the "ideal" I have, or the "ideal" I've read about.

 

But really, even without the situations you are dealing with, good parenting means helping a child do their best, meet their individual potential, and use their God-given (I believe) gifts. Even with my children, who have had the benefit of being homeschooled from the beginning, I am learning that this doesn't look the same for each child. Throw in challenges, unique talents, life situations -- each child is ALWAYS a unique mix. By doing the best for each one that you can, by focusing on the skills they need to learn NOW, by pointing out to them their accomplishments... you will lay the groundwork for a lifetime of learning.

 

Your children haven't been homeschooled from the beginning. Some haven't even had exposure to modern conveniences for very long. That's okay!! They are likely to be different from children who have had those advantages. That's okay too!!! Be joyful about their backgrounds and who they are. They will bring unique perspectives and gifts to this world. Be encouraged that there have been many brilliant people (and some not brilliant, but strong of character) who have not had advantages early in life who have changed the world.

 

It may help you if you start your year writing down where each child is at -- academically, socially, emotionally, etc. At the end of the school year, revisit this and sum up each child's progress. It will really help you to look back at this when you feel down or feel like you're not "getting anywhere."

 

I know your children each have a purpose -- it doesn't need to be reached by following the same path everyone else seems to be on. What a blessing it is to all of us just to read your family's story thus far! Best wishes for a blessed homeschool journey.

 

Charmaine

[Evergreen Academy]

I am struggling internally with letting go of how I wish I could educate them all, because A) We started too late with homeschooling to do rotations of things and even in my excellerated students I am stunned at what ground was not covered and B) It is impossible to go back for 10-12 year old kiddos and give them all they missed.

 

We will never be where I wish we were with history/social studies, and it will easily be a couple of years...if we are lucky...before we can be where we can do some serious reading. I am finding it hard to let go of what I know my kids would have been capable of, and of what material we will miss. Looking at planning out years in the future, we will barely cover all the basics at a more basic level..which they need...and will have to rush through some areas to cover what we can.

 

Cindy, first, congratulations on your two newest additions, and second, :grouphug:, I do understand to some degree what you are saying. Our three youngest arrived at 2 and three years old, but they, along with ds12 who is also homeschooling, are all over the map! I have a ds7 who likely has auditory processing issues and ADD (was 9 weeks premature and adopted at three with no language at all); a sweet ds9 who has a hearing loss and poor auditory comprehension, needs lots of repetition to have things stick; and a brilliant ds9 who remembers everything he hears but has trouble with reading comp - hopefully vision therapy will correct an issue he has and make reading more fun. My first three were so easy to teach, and I have been struggling with feeling guilty that these youngest three will not get what ds12 had in terms of schooling.

 

But you know what? I think they're not supposed to. I am the one who has to let go of the WTM standards and CM guidelines that I love, because they just aren't all ready for the same thing at the same time. I have to regard every. single. time I sit down and read with ds7 as therapy and language intervention, as he just doesn't absorb things the others naturally got. I am using materials much younger than his actual grade, because that is what he can focus on, and a little at a time, the world opens to him.

 

I am really trying to pray about my decisions and make them based on the child and not my vision for my homeschool, you know? I am starting to understand that the paths for my gifted son and my differently abled children will look different. Not bad or worse, but different. Hard.

 

Ideas I am tossing around that might work for you:

- colorful books from Winterpromise to illustrate time period studied, rather than strictly readers my older dc enjoyed.

- black & white, easy to follow, spiral teaching for LA - CLE at a lower level (take the test), Rod and Staff, or Evan Moore workbooks.

- books on tape or cd

- unit study approach with hands-on learning

 

Another thought (and I know you know this) - you are starting from scratch in so many ways, and because of language and life experience, your dc do need to start at a much younger level with everything. That is ok - every thing you read or do with them is a wonderful, new, therapuetic, educational thing they never would have gotten. You are opening up their world in many ways, and that has to be done before they can go deeper. Every trip to the library, recipe prepared together, every family activity is a learning experience.

 

Don't know if any of this is of value, but you are doing great work.

Blessings,

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 7-19, schooling grades 2, 4, 4 and 6 (two in college now!!!)

 

PS - stop reading the siggies, LOL! I am trying!

[johnandtinagilbert]

I am struggling internally with letting go of how I wish I could educate them all, because A) We started too late with homeschooling to do rotations of things and even in my excellerated students I am stunned at what ground was not covered and B) It is impossible to go back for 10-12 year old kiddos and give them all they missed.

 

We will never be where I wish we were with history/social studies, and it will easily be a couple of years...if we are lucky...before we can be where we can do some serious reading. I am finding it hard to let go of what I know my kids would have been capable of, and of what material we will miss. Looking at planning out years in the future, we will barely cover all the basics at a more basic level..which they need...and will have to rush through some areas to cover what we can.

 

Cindy, first, congratulations on your two newest additions, and second, :grouphug:, I do understand to some degree what you are saying. Our three youngest arrived at 2 and three years old, but they, along with ds12 who is also homeschooling, are all over the map! I have a ds7 who likely has auditory processing issues and ADD (was 9 weeks premature and adopted at three with no language at all); a sweet ds9 who has a hearing loss and poor auditory comprehension, needs lots of repetition to have things stick; and a brilliant ds9 who remembers everything he hears but has trouble with reading comp - hopefully vision therapy will correct an issue he has and make reading more fun. My first three were so easy to teach, and I have been struggling with feeling guilty that these youngest three will not get what ds12 had in terms of schooling.

 

But you know what? I think they're not supposed to. I am the one who has to let go of the WTM standards and CM guidelines that I love, because they just aren't all ready for the same thing at the same time. I have to regard every. single. time I sit down and read with ds7 as therapy and language intervention, as he just doesn't absorb things the others naturally got. I am using materials much younger than his actual grade, because that is what he can focus on, and a little at a time, the world opens to him.

 

I am really trying to pray about my decisions and make them based on the child and not my vision for my homeschool, you know? I am starting to understand that the paths for my gifted son and my differently abled children will look different. Not bad or worse, but different. Hard.

 

Ideas I am tossing around that might work for you:

- colorful books from Winterpromise to illustrate time period studied, rather than strictly readers my older dc enjoyed.

- black & white, easy to follow, spiral teaching for LA - CLE at a lower level (take the test), Rod and Staff, or Evan Moore workbooks.

- books on tape or cd

- unit study approach with hands-on learning

 

Another thought (and I know you know this) - you are starting from scratch in so many ways, and because of language and life experience, your dc do need to start at a much younger level with everything. That is ok - every thing you read or do with them is a wonderful, new, therapuetic, educational thing they never would have gotten. You are opening up their world in many ways, and that has to be done before they can go deeper. Every trip to the library, recipe prepared together, every family activity is a learning experience.

 

Don't know if any of this is of value, but you are doing great work.

Blessings,

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 7-19, schooling grades 2, 4, 4 and 6 (two in college now!!!)

 

PS - stop reading the siggies, LOL! I am trying!

wonderful, wise and tender post.

[CyndiLJ]

Thanks to you all...your encouragement and insight have helped already. This is so incredibly challenging...and terrifying! And then letting go of what I read everyone else is doing and helping my kids reach their specific potential based upon their own need to revisit certain stages, their need to explore, their need to go back and relive some of the preschool experiences all the while trying to help lift them up to grade level means I need to LET GO of a lot. That is easier said than done.

 

It also is difficult when others do not understand why you would even attempt it with this situation, and think we are ruining our kids. They don't see that our children absolutely don't fit in public ed even when we tried it! Poor Kenny was feeling worse and worse about himself and not a single "expert" knows what to do with him other than move him on so eventually, one day, he is in high school still reading at a 1st grade level. And our daughters...can you imagine them with little language skills, going to middle school still carrying around dolls and reading My Little Pony books? I am utterly, supremely grateful they still have retained their innocence, as that was a big fear of ours, but I have to laugh out loud at the thought of them being in a typical middle school classroom. And that has nothing to do with the academic struggles they would face.

 

I have yet to easily figure out how to balance our our school days when so many kids need one on one instruction on so many subjects, but we are gradually getting there. Most importantly, they LOVE school...all of them...and that was not the case just a few months ago for any of them. They never hated it, but it was not something to look forward to. I think I need to embrace what one poster wrote about letting go of teaching them everything and get them to the place where they love to learn and have the tools to teach themselves anything they want to learn. If I can do that in our limited years together, that might spell success. It will have to look different for us than for other families.

 

We are currently using Modern Curriculum Press Plaid Phonics as I needed the actual photos for building vocabulary, and it is working well. Also using MCP's Spelling Workout workbooks. We use leveled readers right now from Readinga-z.com but only a little as I prefer using real books as much as possible, and so do the kids. All are using Saxon math at varying levels, Steck-Vaughn reading comprehension workbooks at varying levels, but mostly reading library books with a smattering of the workbooks filling in.

 

For science we are using Nancy Larson's new Elementary Science curriculum, and started at the beginning with Science 1 as the reading level is perfect and I liked the basic topics taught in that level and the way it allows for lots of discussion. For my 6th grader he is working with us but then doing a Science Detective workbook to supplement. I thought it would be too easy for him with Science 1 but he said the material is stuff he never got in elementary so he wanted to review it quickly with us as we go through it. Since we are hoping to go through 2 years worth each year, we should be getting to harder material even by the end of this year. He had almost NO science exposure other than small, easy reading books here and there and a unit on recycling and habitats...that is it.

 

I created a geography notebook system based loosely on Around the World in 180 days. We are cherry picking through it, as well as using a workbook for map skills, but mostly using some DK books and an atlas for learning culture/people/landmarks. We plan on this taking a year and a half or more, then move on to World History one time thoroughly, then American History once and government. Of course, we will be reading and doing activities here and there on American history and holidays, etc. all along but a one time thorough walk through later on is all I think we will have time for.

 

We are also using a lot of Critical Thinking Company materials as our 3 older adoptees lack in this area in a big way. Already seeing improvement, and all of us are doing them together as more like a game/competition and they get a kick out of it.

 

For my 6th grader, we are also doing Reading Detective and Progeny Press book study guides, and are going to start on EIW Structure and Style writing curriculum in a month or so.

 

I am wondering if anyone has any other suggestions...and when you think I ought to formalize writing skills with my other 4. Right now I am just having them journal a couple times a week in addition to any writing they do in their workbooks, and we go over it and see where we can correct it. We are also doing Growing with Grammar with everyone at appropriate levels.

 

I am open to any and all suggestions, ideas, thoughts about what we are doing right now or a game plan for the future.

 

Thanks again for your support. I have no one nearby who understands our unique challenges or whom I have met who is not using more standardized curriculum.

 

Warmly,

Cindy LaJoy

http://www.lajoyfamily.blogspot.com

[DeeFL]

I, too, am living out a very different reality from the vision we had when we first began homeschooling 12 years ago. Back then, we didn't know our oldest (almost 18) had severe auditory processing issues, as well as dyslexia. And, we also only had 3 children, and thought that we were done.

 

We now have 7 children. We had our 4th tummy baby 5.5 years ago, and when she was 1, decided to adopt from China. We adopted our spunky, rambunctious daughter (shows signs of ADD, but her main special need has no impact on learning) at the age of 2. She's been home almost 3 years. Then, last June, we adopted a 14 year old girl from China, as well as an 8 year old boy. The boy is doing quite well, and really doesn't have any learning issues, but our daughter was in a terrible orphanage. She was abandoned at the age of 2, and presented with a cleft lip and palate, which went unrepaired till age 5 or 6. No follow-up surgeries or bone grafting was ever done, so she cannot have the repairs done that a child would normally have. She was also extremely malnourished and abused, both physically and more. They felt that she could not learn due to her mouth issues, and she basically watched soap operas every day. She did go to school, but was not required to do anything. She could not read, add, subtract...anything.

 

She definitely has potential, and has made amazing leaps in her learning, but she will likely be with my dh & I forever. (I mean won't likely live on her own.) Sorry...didn't mean to turn this into my story!

 

All that to say...you aren't alone. You have unique children who have very different and unique beginnings to their stories. They bring their own gifts and issues. BUT, they will undoubtedly be far better off for whatever you are doing than they would in their previous situations, and most likely better off than local schools, which can make some accomodations, but don't love and know them like you do. They aren't going to be in tune with what makes them tick, you know? What you are doing is great...and like others said, don't read about all the amazing things others kids are doing. Your children have their own story. It is amazing that they were able to leave their birth countries, which likely involved a lot of hardships that our birth children will never face, and they learn to be part of a family...a feat in and of itself. Especially when that family looks, sounds, smells, eats, speaks, and lives so foreign to what they know.

 

This is rambling...sorry. I just want to encourage you to keep at it. And remember...comparison is the death of contentment.

 

Bless you!

[JMDRAD]

Just remember that your "job" is to teach them to love to learn. They have their whole lifetime to learn. Even if you had them from the beginning, you couldn't possibly teach them everything. You just need to light their spark.

 

:grouphug:

 

Angela

:iagree: Enjoy the journey.

[G5052]

Seriously! Dwelling on the might-have-beens really won't help you homeschool today and tomorrow.

 

I haven't had major academic challenges with my children, but the challenges outside of homeschooling have made homeschooling way harder than I ever expected. My plans ten years ago don't look that much like what really happened, although I don't have too many regrets about how it worked out. You'll never get to everything anyway. There will also be unread books, projects you might have done, classes they might have taken.

 

Bottom line is to do the best with what you have and to keep at it.

 

:auto:

[EJCMom]

How would you feel if, instead of looking at where your children are, and comparing it to where other children (who were born into incredible priviledge compared to yours) are, you looked at where you childern are and compared it to where they would have been if you hadn't adopted them? When you look at it that way, what you have IS ideal. You also said that your kids love school, whereas they didn't a month ago. Goodness, if my kids can get through school, and I can honestly say that they loved it, THAT is my ideal. That is my whole purpose in homeschooling is to raise kids who love to learn. It sounds to me like you are already there. Where they are grade level wise right now isn't nearly as important as that. :grouphug:

[laughing lioness]

A practical suggestion: I would incorporate CD's as much as possible- SOTW, Lyrical Life Science, Lingua Angelica, Wee Sing.

I also highly recommend the Classical Conversations CD's and Power Point disks.

Last year was crazy for us; CD's to the rescue. Some days we only did math, then the kids were assigned reading, then we did CD's for the rest of school. In this way we covered a lot of ground. We had set listening times each day.

As far as "letting go" - give yourself permission and time to grieve. You have a lot of challenges. Baby steps, keep focused. Write down do-able goals for each child in several areas and use curriclum as a tool to acheive those goals. All the best to you!

[WistfulRidge]

How would you feel if, instead of looking at where your children are, and comparing it to where other children (who were born into incredible priviledge compared to yours) are, you looked at where you childern are and compared it to where they would have been if you hadn't adopted them? When you look at it that way, what you have IS ideal. You also said that your kids love school, whereas they didn't a month ago. Goodness, if my kids can get through school, and I can honestly say that they loved it, THAT is my ideal. That is my whole purpose in homeschooling is to raise kids who love to learn. It sounds to me like you are already there. Where they are grade level wise right now isn't nearly as important as that. :grouphug:

:iagree:

My first thought was very similar. Sure they might not be where you'd like them to be, they might be behind the norm - but you don't have a normal situation. Your children have been incredibly blessed to be brought into your family and they have been given an incredible opportunity. Instead of comparing your situation to what you see here compare to the what-might-have-been had these kids not come to your home. They are leaps and bounds ahead of where they would have been; you are giving them a love of learning and filling their head with love, learning, and tools.

In the end your job is to give them the best education you can while instilling love of life and learning.

You're doing great :grouphug:

[Annabel Lee]

A practical suggestion: I would incorporate CD's as much as possible- SOTW, Lyrical Life Science, Lingua Angelica, Wee Sing.

I also highly recommend the Classical Conversations CD's and Power Point disks.

Last year was crazy for us; CD's to the rescue. Some days we only did math, then the kids were assigned reading, then we did CD's for the rest of school. In this way we covered a lot of ground. We had set listening times each day.

As far as "letting go" - give yourself permission and time to grieve. You have a lot of challenges. Baby steps, keep focused. Write down do-able goals for each child in several areas and use curriclum as a tool to acheive those goals. All the best to you!

 

I don't have much to add, but just wanted to expand on this suggestion. For your child(ren) who still need learn what is real & what is not, my first thought was educational movies. If they don't know about something that so many of us take for granted, then seeing a well-done documentary might not be a bad idea. Planet Earth comes to mind.

 

:grouphug: to you & God bless you on your journey.

[johnandtinagilbert]

You know, in my own way, I've been dealing with this too. Not for the same reasons you have to adjust, but b/c our financial situation requires me to prepare my dc early for college so they can dual enroll and get a great deal of their college education for free. I've been struggling this whole summer b/c there are things *I* want to teach, but have to let go for preparation and b/c I need their college profs to teach, so that my dc can receive credits. I'm very sad about this. Anyways, for whatever reason, I came back to your post just to say...you just let go so you can move forward; otherwise, the situation holds you back and you know that's not the right direction. :grouphug:

[TXMary2]

:grouphug: for you! I haven't read all the responses yet, but I wanted to encourage you regarding the reading. Read aloud to them every day and also listen to books on tape. You will be surprised how much they will absorb and remember. Also, lots of questions and good conversations can come from this.

 

Also, talk to them and explain everything you are doing......like for the child who never used a light switch....have him help you in the kitchen....when you turn the stove on explain what you are doing and what the stove does etc etc. A little conversation can go a long way.

 

Lastly, try not to focus on what they don't know and just focus on imparting basic knowledge to them even if it seems silly to you. Remember too, don't compare yourself or your kids to others because when we compare we are usually comparing our weaknesses to other's strengths and then we always come up short.

 

Exciting times are ahead for you! Embrace it :)