Brown

The problem with dyslexia / reading and ps is, IMO, just what you say - the
attitudes that are presented and then absorbed by the kids. 2 of my 4 have
reading / writing problems that would probably have been diagnosd as dyslexia
if I had ever let them near an 'expert'. One learnt to read - when he was
ready - at 9 1/2, the other at 12. Neither will probably be much good at
spelling. Greg has almost 'no qualifications' but was able to exude
confidence and ability enough to get a job with a beekeeper at the age of 17
and has held down that job for 15 months. He is now taking a break to come
home and help us build our house. If he'd been at school, all attention would
have been focused on his 'failures' with reading and writing. Instead we have
been able to encourage him in his strengths. My 12yo has extraordinary powers
of observation and intuition. Not sure where they will take him, but I am
sure that these qualities would have been 'beaten' out of him - watching
birds out of windows is not acceptable in the face of not being able to
spell!

> Erick, the
> 8 yo could not read, at all, barely recognized 1/2 of the alphabet and
> they passed him to 2nd grade, when I objected they told me that he would
> never be normal and they had to keep his self esteem up, he has no self
> esteem problems

Soon would have - the more schools try to pretend, the worse it gets. To keep
self esteem up, the kid needs honesty, not pretense. Yes, not being able to
read and write well creates difficulties. How can we do something about it?
What strengths can we encourage to compensate? It is so important that the
kid sees himself as a worthwhile whole person who has strengths *and*
weaknesses, and that he is valuable for who he is, and for who he may become,
and that he isn't made helpless by suggestions - however they are put - that
there is an inevitability about the outcome of his life.

> Anyway that was what made my final
> decision, I had been looking into it for 2 years, but to be honest did
> not know if I was patient enough to give them the education they deserve,
> now I wonder why it took me so long.

Like school teachers are always so patient LOL

> I
> am so sorry I did not have the courage to do this for my other kids, they
> missed so much and so did I by trusting that the school knew best. I have
> I have 11 grandchildren and will homeschool or help with most of them, it
> has become a family commitment.

I really admire someone who takes the decision to homeschool after so many
years of entrenchment in the system - Congratulations, that took a lot of
courage.

Carol

[email protected]

Carol,

The boys have a long way to go and they have many obstacles to overcome
and they will probably never be brain surgeons, but if they are happy and
contributing humans I will have done what I set out to do. Keith is 11
and reads about on a 2nd or 3rd grade level, I try to avoid tests and
other things that just set them up to fail, instead of worrying about
what they cannot do we find things they can do and we build on it, then
soon they can do something they could not do. I think in the natural
order of things we all develop differently and that includes reading and
writing, some of the most intelligent people I know can barely read and
you cannot read their handwriting, but they have so much to offer the
world. I hate labels and have left off some of the more insulting things
that have been said by teachers, but it was not good for the boys.
Intelligence is not a factor, they have high IQ's, but if they did not it
would not change their value as human beings and of course because they
are my kids I think they are pretty wonderful even when they are driving
me wild. My sister in law told me the only thing I needed to be able to
teach my kids was love and the rest would work out, she is mostly right,
but it is hard to not have anyone to talk to about it. My husband works
terrible hours and travels with his job, we do go visit him alot, but it
is not a good support system as he is almost always working, we get a
small amount of his time and I hate to take his attention away from doing
things with the boys to talk about what they have been doing, does that
make sense at all? I do not want my kids to be normal, they are wonderful
and unique and exceptional human beings, why would I want to settle for
normal. I am so glad I finally made this decision and so are they. We've
only just gotten home from a trip to see both grandma's and the boys were
so excited to tell their aunts and uncles about homeschooling and try to
talk them into doing it with their kids, so far only myself and the
sister in law that encouraged me do, but I live in hope that it is
spreading, all my children have made the commitment to homeschool their
children, so at least in this branch of the tree it is flourishing.
Sharon
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