Homeschooling Behind the Crowd

My son is "in" third grade this year. In the state of Pennsylvania, when the child turns 8, they become "official". That means, until this time, families are able to teach at home and not make any contact with the school district, but when that 8th birthday come...it gets REAL!

My son turned 8 last December. Up to that point, I was still patting my son on the back for reading above level, staying totally curious when it comes to all things related to science, and moving along at a steady pace. Everything with him has been pretty easy...expect one thing...MATH!

I love math! I always have, but I ever since I was in college, I have some very real fears about teaching math. I feel like I get words tangled and teach concepts in a way that makes them more difficult to understand. Unfortunately, because of my fears, I keep putting math on the back burner, at least the workbook anyway.

That means, my son, who is in 3rd grade is doing a 1st grade math book. Sometimes that feels so embarrassing! How can I have a child that is so far behind? Then I remember how lucky I am that I get to be the one to teach him these concepts and that we can work with a goal of mastery. I am not tied to finishing the book by the end of the year and I do not have to answer to anyone about why my son isn't work at an "age appropriate level". He worked through the kindergarten books for nearly 2 years, but along the way, we used some of the "Life of Fred" series and I found that learning math using words worked much better for him than pages and pages of numbers. Additionally, I'm finding that he's really "getting it" this year. He's actually starting to pick up the pace and cruise along much faster than he's ever been able to do in the past. I feel like something just clicked!

I hope that you will read this and know that you are not alone. If your worried because your child is struggling to read, spell, or multiple, remind yourself that every child is different. Sometimes, just having some time to let the concepts sink in, will allow reap great rewards in the long run.

Have a Blissful Day!