Yesterday we embarked on our homeschooling journey. I got the girls off to school (Mikaylie will start Thursday), had my devotion and Bible time while the boys got dressed and had breakfast and then we began at 8:45am. I started with a short orientation of how things would work, some house rules and Graham prayed for our day. We had Bible time, history, science and tea (15 minute break for snack and toilet) then they began their folder work. Each boy has his own accordion folder with each subject having it's own pocket. This general plan came from a fantastic homeschooling website called http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/ where she uses boxes. With limited space and a desire to work out the kinks before I spend too much money, I opted for the folders instead, at least for now. (Plastic is ridiculously expensive here!!) Much of this work they can do independently and they are to work through the folders in order. I ordered each boys' subjects so that (ideally) they won't both need help from me at the same time. I also ordered them so that their most difficult or tiresome subject is first (i.e. Will has math first and Graham has handwriting). The boys do their folder work at the kitchen table, each on a large, lamented poster board that they decorated before lamination. This keeps them in their "own space" and also protects my table. At noon we had lunch and then the boys played outside until 1pm before returning to finish up their folder work. Both boys were finished by 2. The day went smooth as silk! I know! I know!! Everyday will NOT be so easy. But the boys' attitudes are great! And they LOVE it!! I was exhausted but we had a great day!
Some things that I observed and have set out to adjust for:
  First observation: Both boys, but especially Will, has ridiculously weak core body strength! They would constantly prop themselves up on their left arm while working and often lay their heads on the table while doing their written work. After school, I promptly ran out for yoga balls and small work tables (a folding table for Will and a wooden tv table for Graham to accommodate for their different heights). As I type, Will is sitting on his yoga ball while he watches a movie to build some core strength. They will use these balls and tables during history while they are coloring worksheets as I read the lesson to them. Eventually they will do more written work on the balls as they build strength. (I'm curiously watching to see how long Will will last as he watches this movie. He can't even sit in the pew at church for the duration of the service without slouching and eventually laying against me!)
   Second observation: I knew Graham had handwriting issues but, wow!, did I not realize how bad!?! His pencil grip is very poor and his control is like that of a 3-year-old... maybe. How could he have possibly gone on in school without being able to even legibly write his name?? Oh, and rest assured, I have guilt! Heaps of guilt!! We should have started homeschooling the day we got him. (Ok, not the DAY we got him, but you know what I mean.)

And while we're on the subject of guilt...
Today (just our second day) was an abnormal school day in that Graham had his first of fortnightly speech therapy sessions, both boys had swimming lessons and Will had some testing done by a wonderful (and American, oddly enough) child psychologist. Billy brought him while I stayed with Graham to do some light schoolwork and speech. When they returned, Billy had some sobering news regarding the test results. Will has an IQ of 62. Intellectual Disability (formerly referred to as mental retardation) is any score below 70. I was flooded with a myriad of emotion. Sorrow, anger, guilt, fear... I thought of the years and years at school that Will was expected to act like, learn like, be like a "normal kid"! I thought of the hundreds of times he was reprimanded, punished, even spanked for something he had no clue was inappropriate or wrong. I thought of damage to his self esteem at the hands (or mouths) of so many, myself included and at the top of the list!!! I thought of the testing he had gone through in his early school years that revealed delays in various areas, but averaged out. I thought of the ridiculous ADHD diagnosis and the meds we gave him for 3 years that clearly did NOTHING but the "experts" said that was the problem. I thought of the time he was accused of cheating on a spelling test and didn't have the verbal skills to explain that his "cheat sheet" was actually written AFTER he had completed the test just for practice!!! Will is actually pretty good at spelling and if he was going to cheat it would've been in, say... math. What have we done to this poor boy and why, oh WHY would God not reveal this to us 11 years ago? That we had to travel halfway around the world to get a diagnosis is unbelievable. What's funny is, someone actually asked me before we moved to New Zealand, if they have running water here! Uhhh, yep, and some really fine medical staff and therapists too!
Billy and I wonder what would have happened with Will if we had stayed in the states. I KNOW that this is a huge reason why God brought us here. The whole atmosphere is so much more laid back and easygoing for a kid like Will. And I don't think I could have home schooled in the States with all the running the other kids around. We're where God wants us.
soooo much of what he hears. Sometimes things we wish he wouldn't. Like the exact speed Billy was going when he got a speeding ticket last year while we were vacationing on the South Island. 117, by the way! (kilometers per hour, not miles.) Will loves food and really want to learn to cook which makes homeschooling perfect for him! He is fascinated by the Korean cookbook I brought back when I brought him home from Korea but have yet to cook from! His swimming lesson today went terrifically and he loves the water! As he becomes more competent in swimming, it will do wonders for his muscle tone and strength. He's playing squash with Billy about once a week. And he is, hands down, the MOST helpful, but more importantly, most EAGER-to-help kid in our house. He loves to help by taking out the garbage, vacuuming the house and feeding, watering and collecting eggs from the chickens. And he is LOVING the computer math program! He's starting with 3rd grade math but because he's having such success, he asks to do it more than once a day. It will likely get to the point where he can't go much further but we're hoping that with the help of the psychologist, we can know when that is before we ask too much of him.
Most importantly is Will's compassion and love for people that is so pure and genuine, even if it is due to his naiveté.  Will is such a blessing to us and his dimples bless all those he meet!

More on our homeschooling activities to come. AND photos of my new horse Joe expected to arrive in the next week or so!!!!! Attached the one from when I test-rode him in November.

PS- Will lasted about 20 minutes on the ball.

Why Homeschool???

First, let me say that I never, EVER thought I would be a homeschooling mom! I had always admired mom's that home school their children but also secretly thought they must be a little insane or masochistic. So the fact that we are even going there is proof-positive it is coming from the Lord. Only He could have possibly "talked" me into this!  

Will is looking like he has some brain damage thought to be from fetal alcohol syndrome. He has very poor problem-solving/reasoning skills, he is barely at 2nd grade math level and he has many asperges-like behaviors (though his pediatrician here has ruled it out).  I can't help but feel like it's too late to start this with Will who is now 13!, though he can't possibly stay in school or go to high school. His many asperges-like characteristics include very poor social skills and he is extremely vulnerable to getting coaxed into doing things to get a laugh or fit in. Our relationship has been nothing if not tumultuous and I pray homeschooling will repair some damage in that area.  

Graham, now nearly 9, has developmental delays due to having lived in an orphanage, having  a congenital heart defect (now repaired) and having been "bounced around" until we got him not quite 3 years ago. He has fine motor delays, speech delays and started school a year late due to his unstable family-life before coming to us. NZ schools are laid back regarding just about everything except  kids being in the class with "their peers", so he was placed in a class 2 years ahead of where he left in the states. He is very bright but those basic and fundamental skills of speaking, reading and writing had been skipped in the move! And being such an adaptable, easy-going kid that causes no disturbances when work is too difficult, he was getting overlooked. He had page after page of 2-year-old-like scribble in his "writing journal" at school and no one noticed for weeks!!! 

I'm so nervous!!! I'm not the most organized person, though I can be rather OCD-ish. Our boys have special needs that don't fit into any cookie cutter program. And I'm in a foreign country!!!! Not to mention Nani wants to be home-schooled too but I feel I need to just start with the boys who really have immediate needs.

I've got about 2 weeks to get organized and develop our lesson plan so that, if nothing else, the boys "think" I know what I'm doing. I've gotten material, mostly from the states, with the guidance of a veteran homeschooling mum of 8 at our church. She has been an absolute God-send, with encouragement, tips, material, advise and just an ear to vent to.

NZ requires an application for exemption in order to withdraw children from the school system so I've had to do a lot of research and planning for that. I sent our packet in just after Christmas. The Ministry of Education will likely have further questions for me regarding my lesson plans and such but I've not heard anything yet.

Yesterday I had the kids (I included the girls for peace sake) decorate with markers and colored pencils large poster boards. I'll take them to Stationary Warehouse (like Office Depot) to have them laminated. This will be the boys' portable work space for the kitchen table or bench (Kiwi for counter top/bar). This will give them their own space to work since we don't have room for desks, while also protecting my kitchen table from pencil points. 

I've also discovered another invaluable resource in confessionsofahomeschooler.com. Erica's blog is absolutely amazing and full of organization, planning, ideas, etc. for a Christian homeschooling environment!!!

My planning is coming together. Our small office is almost ready. The boys are eager to start. But I am nervous! Maybe it's just this tremendous weight of being these kids' primary source of education. Maybe it's the guilt I have for not doing this sooner or for not doing this with all of our kids. Maybe it's my selfish dread of giving up my self, my days... my life really, to do this, even though I know it's what God wants us to do. Nevertheless, I'm ready to take the plunge and see what happens. I'd appreciate any prayers you can shoot our way and I promise to keep blogging throughout this adventure; good, bad or ugly!

The next great adventure...

I wasn't in the best place as New Year's rolled around. Kaigan had just returned to the States and we've had days and days of rain. My mood and outlook had improved from say October and November but the thought of a new year, another year, didn't bring the usual hope of new begins and fresh starts. As I'd mentioned in the previous post, Billy and I have prayerfully decided to homeschool the boys so much of the last month had been spent writing the application to homeschool and researching, ordering and collecting materials. We've shifted furniture around to give us the use of our small office and I've been piecing things together for our home school and I've actually started to get excited! I've also had the invaluable guidance of a friend from church who home schools most of their eight children (2 are now in high school and 2 are infant/toddlers). This morning at church she introduced me to two more home schooling mums and I was filled with such enthusiasm for our upcoming year I almost wish we were starting tomorrow! A new peace and tenderness for our boys has come over me and I'm eager to get to know them better. Not only will this be fantastic for Will and Graham, but I'm hopeful about how it will help my adjusting to life here as well. I'll have a purpose, a schedule and a new source for terrific friends.

The other bit of news that has aided in my joy is that I may, possibly be getting a horse of my own in the next few weeks! We had purchased a pony for Brylie shortly after our arrival but through a series of events and circumstances, the pony has not worked out and I've been trying to sell or trade her for a larger horse for myself. A lady contacted me about a possible trade and Billy and I went to see her horse last week. She is a lovely mare and should suit me quite nicely. And after viewing several videos of our pony, the lady is "very very very keen to swap"! She has yet to come down to see the pony in person but I'm feeling rather confident she has already made up her mind. Having my own horse is just what I've been longing for and will be just what I will need to have some "me time" after homeschooling.
Three weeks from tomorrow is the first day of the New Zealand school year and the start of our next great adventure... perhaps the greatest one yet! And hopefully, I'll have my new horse too!