hsmommaof3

Hi all,

My name is Lisa and I have 3 children...ds11, ds9, dd4. We are
unschoolers most of the time. I have a hard time letting go and
trusting my kids and myself to do the right thing. So, occasionally
I fall into the "we need to do school" trap. That is where I am
now. My ds11 spent the day listening to a book on tape (The Thief
Lord--Funke.) He started and finished it in one day...this is a
normal practice for him. He can and does build amazing things out
of Legos. He's very verbal and creative. Yet, I find myself
thinking that he needs to work on math and writing (his weak
areas.) He struggles with handwriting and has been working on
learning to type. He avoids math like the plague and is very
limited in computation.

I guess what I am needing is some encouragement. Has anyone else
had a math phobic child that became a "normal" functioning adult
without math books? I also have a developmentally delayed child
(ds9) who struggles with everything. He can't read and everything
has to be concrete for him to understand it. There is a lot of
pressure on me from friends and family to do more teaching and
acquire outside help.

TIA for any and all encouragement...and tongue lashings for the
school-at-home mentality. (grin)

Lisa

[email protected]

In a message dated 10/7/03 4:31:27 PM, hsmommaof3@... writes:

<< Has anyone else

had a math phobic child that became a "normal" functioning adult

without math books? >>

I have three who are great at math and think it's fun. They're 17, 14 and 11.

They were without math books.

But you've already math-booked your child.

<He avoids math like the plague and is very

limited in computation. >>

Huh.
Those things are directly related.

You don't make him better at math by plaguing him with more math.

You make him hate and fear it more.

<<I guess what I am needing is some encouragement. >>

I would like to encourage you to leave him alone about math until he's
sixteen or seventeen. REALLY leave him alone. But play games with him, just never
say "math," and give him allowance but don't ask him any mathy questions about
it.

Kirby lately got a bank account with separate savings and checking, and an
ATM card. He's learning, but we're not "teaching" him. We tell him this or
that, like you'd tell anyone who just got an account that's like one you have.

<<I also have a developmentally delayed child

(ds9) who struggles with everything. He can't read and everything

has to be concrete for him to understand it. >>

I don't think not reading by nine is in and of itself evidence of "delay."

I mean in one sense it is. But "delayed" compared to a batch of hundreds of
school kids shouldn't apply to an unschooled child.

Please PLEASE read here:

http://sandradodd.com/reading

Especially Carol Rice's article. Her son Liam was a preemie and was "behind"
in language matters. He turned nineteen lately. I know him. He reads fine.

Read about my kids too, maybe. None read before late-8, and Holly was 11 or
late 10.

Sandra

Tia Leschke

>
>I guess what I am needing is some encouragement. Has anyone else
>had a math phobic child that became a "normal" functioning adult
>without math books?


Just a couple of days ago on another list, this came up. One mother talked
about her daughter, who could basically add, subtract, and multiply (just
barely) at 14. She could deal with money and with fractions as they came
at her. She decided she wanted a high school diploma and started taking it
by correspondance. They tested her and put her in grade 8 math. She had
not trouble understanding it and getting good grades in it and subsequent
courses. In the mother's words, "So. First 14 years, math largely ignored.
Next few months, math learned
as needed. No drills. No tears. No fear."

Another mother posted with a similar story. Her son had done a similar
amount of math up until age 14. He's now attending a Sudbury Valley type
school and elected to take a grade 10 math class. Again, no problem other
than it being a bit boring.
Tia