Thursday, March 14, 2013

What if Reese is not homeschooled?

A lot will go wrong. My son will not survive in a rote learning environment. He will eventually hate learning. He will not have time to play to his heart's content and indulge in his passion for drawing. There will be constant shouting and arguing between us to get his homework done. I will probably get constant calls from his teachers at school for discipline issues (Reese can't sit still and doesn't take instructions well). Reese will eventually succumb to the pressure and constant scolding. He will become another person. This is not imagined. It is very real. I know my son. 

Every child is different and honestly schools do not have the capacity to cater to every child's learning needs, especially special needs children(Gifted children of varying degrees are considered special needs children)... It is so sad to see many children went through the system and became different after having to endure a flip-flop system, pressure, bullying and etc for years. Most parents do not have a choice but to send their children to public schools. I am grateful that I am able to homeschool Reese. I am grateful that I know enough to guide him in his studies. I pray Reese will turn out alright and be a God fearing person, able to contribute to society, have a meaningful and happy life.

Having homeschooled Reese for a few years now, I must say homeschooling is not for everyone. One has to be 101% committed in seeing it through. Below are some random thoughts of what being committed means...

You have to learn to be resourceful from knowing where to get hard to find educational supplies to hunting down the right person/organisation to organise field trips!

You have to be sociable. Network with other homeschooling parents so that your child will have friends and playdates.

Constantly be up to date with the latest in education, be an internet expert.... know how to source for good educational YouTube videos, reliable online learning resources, how to do in depth search, find the best Apps, learn to use torrents (saves lots of money) and the list goes on......

Be positive at all times... oh well, most of the time! :)

Be a jack of all trades! ( I am a driver, maid, cook, teacher, mother, carpenter, designer, tour guide, nurse, nutritionist and etc.....

Be thick skin and at times kiasu for various reasons. Hehehehe.....

Be curious and adventurous - have been living a sedentary lifestyle for a long time and now because of Reese, we are beginning to venture out of the city more... just recently we went to Kuala Selangor to watch fireflies and last week we went to Gua Tempurung (caving)... we are looking forward to the next adventure...

Be a risk taker! No guarantees that Reese would turn out ok homeschooling but we are taking the risk

Be humble and learn together with your child

Be super patient and try not to lose your sanity. :)

Trust in your child to lead in his/her learning

Have lots of fun as a family. If your spouse is not actively involved in homeschooling your child, make sure you involved him in activities as and when possible.

Learn to get the best deals from books to enrichment activities to save money..... homeschooling can be quite expensive depending on your expectation and your child's needs.

Be good at reading maps and using GPS.... at least for me it is a must. We frequently go to unknown places for field trips.

Learning from other families is encouraged but DO NOT COMPARE. Every family is different, every child's learning style is different....

mmmm.... for now... that is all..... too early to to think! :)













5 comments:

LittleLamb said...

and also take things with a pinch of salt ;) should not feel bad when we receive negative feedback or criticism

Anonymous said...

Hello! I'm just wondering where do you draw the line between aspergers and gifted? I know aspergers can be highly gifted but do gifted kids display aspergers syndrome? Alarms start to ring when you share that Reese can't sit still, can't take instructions well & don't understand social cues (like how he can't understand why he can't barge in a group of kids & just play with them). I read that you consulted a dr once but may i ask if it was a clinical dr? Usually clinical Drs cannot detect aspergers especially for mild cases. Only psychologists are the right people to approach. I apologize if I've offended you. But I've been reading and cannot help but chip in. It's better to get him properly check and if he does have aspergers, you can help him address it by sending him for therapy. Better than assume it's all due him being gifted but if it's not, you would be depriving him of the help he needs. I sincerely hope I'm wrong. Just my 1cents worth. :) -EC

A gift from God said...

Little Lamb,

True true.... I usually like constructive feedback.... positive or not is fine. So far, whatever negative feedback I had has turned positive! :)

A gift from God said...

Hi EC,

Indeed there is a fine line between giftedness and Aspergers.
Here is one of many articles that explain the differences.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/5464232/Autistic-or-just-brilliant/

The doc we consulted is a developmental paediatrician. It has been almost 2 years since we last saw the doc. We were told the best time to test for Aspergers is around 8-9. Having said that, for the past 1 year, Reese has become more mature and definitely has improved in his social skills. In fact, most people think he is a loveable and friendly child who talks non stop! :) He gets along with children and if they do share similar interest... they can have very meaningful play! He gets along better with adults because adults can relate to stuff he likes. A lot of his issues is due to his asynchronous development and given time, it will balance out. The only real issue here is working in groups... he just doesn't take instruction well and likes things his way. We are still working on that but I believe it will eventually be sorted out as he matures. :) So nope, I don't think he has Aspergers. :)

Anonymous said...

Ah, I see. It is a good sign that he plays well with peers & have meaningful play. :) EC