PamJBA Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I'm looking for a bit of direction. DD will be 8 and she's coming out of a fairly successful public scool experience. She did well academically. The school was on the ball with testing and gifted placement. She isn't profoundly gifted, but her tested IQ is certainly higher than mine. I'm not gifted, but I was advanced enough to participate in gifted enrichment programs. DD's father, my ex-husband is in MENSA, but he had behavioral issues like ODD and was never in any sort of gifted program. Is there a book or blog or something you all would recommend? I just want DD to be a happy, kind, contributing member of society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportsmom Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 You sound a bit like me. We started HSing DS10 for 3rd grade. He also did well academically, but simply wasn't challenged enough in traditional school and therefore he was bored and silly. Our first year was quite an adjustment. I followed the full Abeka 3rd grade program (because it's solid enough academically to be a good starting place). Coming out of traditional school is a big enough transition so I wanted to be as much like a classroom as I could. Also, built in lesson plans are a LIFESAVER. At the beginning of the year, we had a big focus on working on his perfectionism. The slightest mistake would crush him because he was so used to automatic 100's. We really worked on the process of learning. We did fly though most of the course work, finishing by Christmas break, and then we did things like STOW volume 1 and working on parts of speech and sentence diagramming for the remainder of the year in subjects he completed. In 4th grade we again started with Abeka, but actually completed 2 different curriculums in each subject other than reading - he struggles with reading comprehension unless the point is bluntly stated. Inference is not his strong suit. For 3rd, our focus was really finding our footing and I learned *SO MUCH* about the way he learns and that information has been invaluable to me. My advice would be to start with something that you know that you will have success with and if you need to change it up along the way, don't be afraid to reassess her needs mid-year. The first half of the first year was scary and hard, but it gets easier, I promise - even if every year you have panic attacks wondering how you are qualified to teach this crazy smart little person. Like you, my husband is the gifted one in our family and so I often feel woefully under-qualified, but then I remember, I'm the one that taught this kid the things he needs to know, like walking, how to dress himself, manners, and everything else he needs on a daily basis. And I've learned that despite the fact that I'm panicked and terrified that I'm royally screwing him up somehow, he's turning into a pretty awesome pre-teen and he is kind and befriends everyone he meets, even if they are very, very different from him. We know a family who has a son with Down's syndrome and I mentioned them the other day, because I couldn't remember their last name, and I realized that he had never realized that there was anything different about their son. And I realized that he is going to be okay if he can always see people just like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thank you. Your story is very helpful. I've tried to pick curriculum that gives us room to adjust the work based on her interest and skill (MBtP, RSO, HO). We'll see how the first semester goes and adjust from there. This feels like a bit of an experiment. DD's past 4 years have included my divorce from her alcoholic father and his recovery. We have both remarried in the past year. DD and I have moved 3 times with another move coming this summer. She attended 3 schools from K-4 trhough 2nd grade. And, because I was a single working mom for 3 years, DD spent a lot of her after school and weekend time with her dad and my mom. For these reasons, I want to focus on life skill with her this first year. She hasn't yet learned to problem solve when presented with something the least bit challenging. She tunes out direction and has very little sense of time. These are just a few of the things I find concerning. I realize some of these are failures on my part, but I know there are quirks that go hand in hand with giftedness. I'm just trying to sort it all out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I would recommend just hanging out here on this and the other boards to get a sense of the wide variety of homeschooling out there. The moms who blog generally have links in their signature line. The end of year brag thread on this board gives you a nice picture of how asynchronous many of the gifted kids are. Take time to even lurk on the college board where you'll see that all sorts of homeschoolers get into all kinds of colleges. And take it easy on yourself! It isn't a failure on your part that your dd has little sense of time or tunes out directions or melts down instead of tackling a problem. You will find, like the rest of us, that no matter how carefully you plan and organize, no matter how encouragingly you coach, mentor, nag, direct, model or coax, there will be things that your dd does that drive you crazy and make you want to bury your head in the sand. Single best thing I did in 12 years of homeschooling? Hours of reading aloud, even when they were lanky teens. Second best? Hours of free time for building legos, drawing, doing crafts, just being kids. Welcome the journey! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks for the encouragement.I needed that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black-eyed Suzan Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Welcome! I enjoyed these books immensely as I was starting homeschooling: The Homeschooling Option: How to Decide if it is right for your family by Lisa Rivero Even though you have already made the decision to homeschool, I found this book very reassuring when I first started to homeschool. If I recall correctly, her child is gifted and they did pull him from public school to homeschool. The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling by Rachel Gathercole This book helped me feel more confident about the socialization question. I started homeschooling when my oldest was in K. My first year I was given the advice to write down goals at the beginning of the year. I followed it, and quickly forgot that I had done so. In February when I was feeling discouraged that he had not accomplished anything, I accidentally found the goals I had written and was happy to see that he had met/surpassed them. I had just forgotten where he had been at the beginning of the year and reset the bar in my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks for the book recommendations. The second one looks particularly interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 The difficulties you mentioned your daughter having could coincide with executive function difficulties. A book like "Smart but Scattered" could be helpful, or just some blog posts on EF. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Ooooooo, search terms! Thanks! I'll look into it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I don't have any advice for you, but wanted to say hello and welcome. I look forward to reading about all the fun you two have together. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Awwww. Thanks! We really do have fun together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportsmom Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Pam, if there is anything I've learned along the way, it's that EVERY SINGLE thing that I panicked over about homeschooling, not a single one of my worries every came to fruition. Sure, we had different challenges that I didn't expect, but like everything in life, when a challenge arises, we end up handling it without a second thought. You instinctively know what is best for her, and you just have to trust yourself and take it day by day. You are gonna do great. It sounds like she has had a lot going on the past few years, and I'm sure she will settle into her new routine marvelously and you will wonder why you were ever nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Thank you all. I feel encouraged just reading everyone's stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Raising Lifelong Learners is a blog with a slant towards gifted students it might be worth click around on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Raising Lifelong Learners is a blog with a slant towards gifted students it might be worth click around on. Colleen, the blog owner, is a high school friend of mine. I believe that she used to teach gifted ed, and I know that she has authored several books on gifted ed for Prufrock, as I recall. Seconding her blog, and welcome to the board! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJBA Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 The blog looks like a great resource. I'll certainly be spending some time there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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