And here I thought...

And here I thought I was done with homeschooling...

Let's back up. I've shared the struggles my seven year old is having in school. I was talking with my mom yesterday about it. I love my mom. She so rocks. She'll listen and talk through things with me. She used to drive a bus with special needs kids, so she knows a thing or two about how the system works. Anyway, as we were talking, she hit on an idea that just bloomed in my mind. I have to remember what the teachers are seeing. Sure, I know that Johnathan is one smart cookie. He's shown me the type of work he's capable of. He has not done that for them. Even when given the opportunity the boy has no desire what so ever to show them what he's capable of. So, we're at a lack of motivation. I've tried rewarding him, I've tried punishing him. It's all gotten old and it doesn't motivate him anymore. So... I'm going to give him work at his level after school. At first I thought this is going to be too much and it's going to backfire, but really, it's perfect.

He breezes through the school day, he isn't learning anything in reading and writing, the rest of the stuff is right at his level. So, if he has had a bad day at school where he has not tried his best, and listened and obeyed the teachers, he will come home, and mommy will have work for him to do that is challenging for him. Extreme work is the name he came up with for it. Bonus side is he will be learning something, he will be challenged. If he has a great day at school and has shown his teachers his true potential, then he doesn't have to do the extra work. So either way it works. If he's constantly doing extra work at home, I will soon have a notebook full of papers to show his teachers, and it's no longer just my word. Johnathan continues to learn and he's not left behind. If he does straighten up at school, then the teachers will see what he's capable of and he'll get moved up accordingly.

When we came up with this, I sat down with Johnathan and was very frank about it all. I was shocked to see how excited he was about it. By including him in the process he feels a bit of ownership in it, he understands it inside and out. This should be effective. I thought at first that eventually this boy is going to get sick of doing soooooo much school work. But tonight as I was giving him placement tests, the boy was having fun. I'm almost worried he'll want to do this extra work! But really, the downside of the extra work, is more strain on me. But isn't that what being a mom is all about?

So anyway, I'm hoping this will get him acting right at school. If it doesn't, I'll have more tools at my disposal when it comes time to face the school again. I just wish I hadn't gotten rid of ALL my homeschool stuff. I only kept the kindergarten stuff thinking I might use it with Caitlin. *shrug* So I pay $20 to $30 on school books. It's for the good of my son.

An unforeseen side effect has happened though. Johnathan did pretty good on the third grade spelling placement tests, so just for kicks I gave him the fourth grade one, explaining to him fully that I did NOT expect him to get these words right. His older siblings wanted to join in. My oldest son has always struggled with reading. There's something with how he learns that spelling is just extremely hard for him. He didn't get any of the words right, which quickly led to a breaking down in tears and crying. He's decided that he wants extra work to do at home so that he can have more practice and hopefully get better. So how's that... I'll be giving my 7 and 10 year old boys, third grade spelling work at home on top of their regular school work. I'm just praying that Michael really is going to stick with this, and it's not going to break down to constant fits and fighting like homeschool was with him.

But as I sit here, I am thankful that God showed me that my business needed to go. Because I have finally come to terms with giving that up, I'm able to confidently say "Okay" to taking on this extra schooling. I thought I was done with it. I really did. But I see two boys that are struggling. Each for very different reasons, I need to try to help them through it.

On top of it all Kirsten is sick. 102* fever tonight. I'm not feeling so great, so I'm probably next in line to get this. I have a feeling this week will be a ton of fun. (sarcasm here) I have a Christmas card I need to make for my design team, and I'm feeling totally zapped of any creativity at the moment. I submitted a card for the High Hopes Design Team. I just could not nail that sketch. I wanted to so bad, but I just wasn't feeling it. Oh well... when the time is right, then I'll get to branch out. Right now, I'm going to be content with where God has me. :)