A World of Learning

 One of the boys that I have had the pleasure of tutoring over the past four years as a homeschool student has now decided that, as a fifth grader, he wants to attend public school. He is advanced in his learning skills, so he should have no trouble there. The only thing that could pose a problem, something he would need to get used to, is the structure of class subjects and the length of the school day. His studies at home have so far been done at a much more relaxed schedule, since he is so smart and can finish lessons quickly.  I will really miss tutoring him! He has been one of my favorite students (well, they're all my favorite) but I love his spunk and personality. This also means I'm down one student. So I'll need to do a little advertising to see if I can get any more clients.  Here he is with the textbooks he's been using for homeschooling - I wish him well in this new venture he is embarking on! (Though I do secretly want him back lol) 

 Well, I found a new book at Walgreen's that I really think will help out my youngest client! Since she is only three years old, I've been holding her hand, making sure she's holding the pencil the correct way, and desribing what we're doing as I help her write her name.  But when I saw this dry-erase book, I realized I was moving too quickly for her. It's made for preschoolers, and the first page has different types of lines on it - curvy, zig zag, bouncy, and so on. The child is supposed to try and trace the lines to help with hand-eye coordination. I watched her as she traced the lines, and saw which ones were easy for her and which ones were more difficult. The lines with curves were easier for her to trace than the ones with 90 degree corners. She only seemed able to draw in curved lines. I realized that going straight to writing letters was way too much to expect from her. She needs to start at step one, which for us, is tracing the different lines. I'm go...