Back to School

Due to a number of factors too exhausting to list my son re-entered public school this week.

We have hopes for this program. Unlike the school he was in previously, this school uses a block schedule. A block schedule is one in which the child has his core classes 2 -3 times per week on alternating days. The classes are 80 minutes instead of 40 minutes.

We think this will work better for our son. He has ADD and learning disabilities and the fewer transitions he has during the day the better. He is very easily distracted by both external and internal disturbances. There is an awful lot going on in his brain that he will not or cannot express.

This school has a strong administrative team and good discipline. The guidance counselor is on the ball. The school itself seems calm when you enter it.

They use a program called Fast ForWord, which is rather controversial. On the web you will find that it is either useless or a miracle, depending on the information source. I am anxious to see what my son thinks of it and observe for myself whether it seems to help him.

I will continue to blog on parenting and education. I may not be homeschooling for the foreseeable future but I will continue to be very involved in my childrens’ education.  My daugher has one more year of private school ahead of her and then both will enter the neighborhood public high school.  It will be and interesting couple of year ahead!

Odyssey Online !

My son and I have been struggling through his ancient history textbook. The language is too advanced for him and I think it goes off on tangents more suited to a high school intellect than a middle school one. He was getting lost in the information and completely missing the main ideas. So . . . . . a web search to the rescue!

Check out Odyssey Online. It provides wonderfully illustrated interactive units on the Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Africa and the Ancient Americas. It teaches using a fusion of art, architecture, myth and social and military history. It’s a highly visual experience. Note – some children with distractibility problems find it easier to concentrate if they listen to instrumental music. This site has just that and the music is beautiful. The site is provided by the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester and the Dallas Museum of Art so you can be confident of the quality and veracity of its information.

I watched a light bulb go on in my son’s head and he started writing an essay on Greek architecture all on his own! I put the textbook away at the very back of the curriculum and felt a huge weight come off of my shoulders. Whew!