i've been homeschooling my ds for about 2 weeks now. Already I'm seeing a difference. I really thought he had dyslexia, his writing was horrible. That is, he could write if copying from text, but when asked to write something, he didn't have a clue where to begin. Literally! He'd put 2 and 3 words together and come up with all sorts of weird spellings. He consistently got sight words wrong, spelling 'you' as 'uoy' confusing this and with. spelled there as ther, etc.
Well, after just 2 weeks of working with him I'm already seeing a difference. We went back to the basics, I"m using books more for a 1-2 grade level. He can read them ok, but when I ask him to write something I read him from the book he just stumbles all over the place. Well, I figured out why--he's been "over phoniced". Any time a kids has any type of reading problem they crank up the phonics until the kid literally can't see the forest for the trees. All those rules, etc., if I tried to apply them I couldn't read, either! He was trying to sound out sight words, which, by definition, shouldn't be sounded out, just recognized. I've been working with him, drilling simple sight words and other simple words. Forget all the rules about magic e, ing brothers, etc. Its all about practice and familiarity. Well, he's making progress! Today he actually wrote a whole paragraph correctly, spelling all the words correctly. He's not running words together or making up weird spellings. Its because they were trying to correct something that didn't exist. He didn't need all those rules, he just needed practice and drill on the basics. Sad, but school was interferring with learning!
I still intend to have him tested for dyslexia, there may be something there. We're scheduled for testing next January, which is the first available. Maybe its best to wait awhile, anyways, to give me a chance to work with him. Otherwise, we're just testing what the school has done, not what he's capable of doing. I realize I'm coming across somewhat anti-school, but if I was so pro-school I would not have taken him out. They had him 5 years and that's the best they could do, I've had him two weeks and we're showing progress. Also, the social pressures are gone--other kids were picking on him, he was made a target by going to his special ed classes. Thinking back, I would never again put a child in special ed in the public school system. It marks him, both with the teachers and other students. At best I would obtain supplemental help outside the school, even it its at my own expense. I hope to have ds go back to public school at some point in the future, but not for this year at least. Let him get a firm foundation in the basic skills before he's thrown back into that system. We'll take it one step at a time!
Well, after just 2 weeks of working with him I'm already seeing a difference. We went back to the basics, I"m using books more for a 1-2 grade level. He can read them ok, but when I ask him to write something I read him from the book he just stumbles all over the place. Well, I figured out why--he's been "over phoniced". Any time a kids has any type of reading problem they crank up the phonics until the kid literally can't see the forest for the trees. All those rules, etc., if I tried to apply them I couldn't read, either! He was trying to sound out sight words, which, by definition, shouldn't be sounded out, just recognized. I've been working with him, drilling simple sight words and other simple words. Forget all the rules about magic e, ing brothers, etc. Its all about practice and familiarity. Well, he's making progress! Today he actually wrote a whole paragraph correctly, spelling all the words correctly. He's not running words together or making up weird spellings. Its because they were trying to correct something that didn't exist. He didn't need all those rules, he just needed practice and drill on the basics. Sad, but school was interferring with learning!
I still intend to have him tested for dyslexia, there may be something there. We're scheduled for testing next January, which is the first available. Maybe its best to wait awhile, anyways, to give me a chance to work with him. Otherwise, we're just testing what the school has done, not what he's capable of doing. I realize I'm coming across somewhat anti-school, but if I was so pro-school I would not have taken him out. They had him 5 years and that's the best they could do, I've had him two weeks and we're showing progress. Also, the social pressures are gone--other kids were picking on him, he was made a target by going to his special ed classes. Thinking back, I would never again put a child in special ed in the public school system. It marks him, both with the teachers and other students. At best I would obtain supplemental help outside the school, even it its at my own expense. I hope to have ds go back to public school at some point in the future, but not for this year at least. Let him get a firm foundation in the basic skills before he's thrown back into that system. We'll take it one step at a time!
) However DD is somewhat concerned about highschool. She thinks she might want to go but is not too sure. Since she is only 10, we have a bit of time before we make a decision there. In the past though DD did desperately want to return to ps. The decision we made was actually to let her try it. I was tired of fighting and didn't feel it would be the best for her to be at home when she was convinced that something else was better. By the end of the first week, she was asking to not go anymore. I made her stick it out for another week and a half but after I went to the parent teacher meeting decided things were not going to improve academically and she herself had already decided that the opportunity to be around the other kids every day was not worth not learning anything. While she was in school, I had DS on a school schedule--mainly in regard to outside time. After 20 min I would call him inside and tell him recess was over. Boy, did he hate that!! Cured him in about three days! 
(Not saying btw loribell that that is your attitude, but I have heard that from so many people. Particularly those who are very against homeschooling.)
BUT...here's my opinion on the suites. We LOVE ASMovies. The theme is great. But being a family of 5 we have to get two connecting rooms. Then they made the suites...well...we have not stayed in a suite (but we have been in one) BUT...our opinion on the suite is this...first...we are the type of family that doesn't spend a lot of time hanging out in our room. YES the room is nice and important and you need space etc but we don't just watch movie after movie or spend an afternoon playing games in our room. Some people do...my opinion may not really "count" so much for them.
If you are going to use them as furniture every day, then there is the hassle of making them into beds again every night. To me, it just seemed to feel more spacious (even if it was not really) to have the rooms connecting.
