Bump in the Road

     We had a really bad day yesterday.  Zack didn't do well on his science test.  He cried and cried because he thought I would be disappointed.  In the early days of homeschooling, I was so tense and unsure of myself as a teacher, I often showed my stress to Zack.  I would get a crease in my forehead, and sometimes would leave the room in tears.  I was so frustrated because Zack's day-to-day work was so good, but when it came to taking tests, he would fail, or come close to it.  Zack interpreted that stress as disappointment in him.  I've learned to relax more now, because I have seen that he is learning, regardless of test scores.  And, I've learned to use multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, or matching tests. He usually gets B's.  
       Yesterday's science test was on soil formation.  Personally, I don't think he needs to know the difference between laterite soil and pedalfer soil in 9th grade, but alas, that's the material he had to be tested on.  Even though it was multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank, he barely got a "D" on the test.  Yes, I'm more relaxed about the results of his tests, but this was pretty bad.  I couldn't let this one go.  He was so upset.  I gave him an extra credit assignment and today, he restudied the material about soil and took an on-line quiz.  This time he got an "A!"  I may just throw out the "D" score all together.  (Yet another advantage to homeschooling!)
     After the fiasco with the science test, we worked on cartooning.  Cartooning is one of his electives, which is supposed to be fun.  However, the assignment in the book was a little complicated for him.  It provided three scenarios, of which he needed to choose one, and then have two characters interact with dialogue and body language.  The task Zack chose, was a newspaper reporter wanting to conduct an interview with a homeless person.  The reporter was supposed to be holding a sandwich, which the homeless person desired.  The instructions in the exercise stated that Zack should create a short cartoon conveying to the audience what the reporter wanted and what the homeless person wanted without coming right out and saying it.  This ended up being an extremely difficult task for Zack because he had to use non-verbal language and dialogue, two areas of weakness for him.  I had to break down the elements and have him draw one panel at a time, then add in the dialogue.  It was really tough to explain that the dialogue had to hint at what each other wanted.  It was late in the afternoon, and I was out of patience.  Zack was tired and couldn't think straight.  Again, he started crying.  He got the cartoon done, but neither one of us felt good about it. 
     Sometimes I feel I am totally killing his self-esteem.  But, he told me he feels better today.  He is very proud of the "A" that he got on his science quiz, and as for cartooning, it is his stress relief and his outlet for self-expression.  That will never change, no matter how many confusing assignments I give him!

Technology Helps Independence

     Technology has been a huge help towards getting Zack to work independently.  His algebra lessons are on a CD that he plays back on his laptop computer.  The CD consists of video lectures that correspond to his textbook.  He watches the lesson, takes notes, and then works the problems in his book.  If he needs help, he can refer back to the CD.   
    Prentice  Hall science has some great interactive graphics on-line.  The textbook provides a code, which Zack types into their website, and an animation related to the lesson will display.  He can interact with the lesson by clicking on elements and initializing the animation.  For  example, this week he had a lesson about the rock cycle.  He called up the animation, and then clicked on each arrow of the cycle and read the corresponding captions.  Animated rocks would crumble, compress, or melt according to what part of the cycle they're part of.  After the lesson, a short quiz was provided.  If something was missed, he could return to the animation and look for the correct answer.  Another resource he is using is a DVD that has more animations and slide shows to accompany most of the lessons in the textbook.     
          To assist in essay writing, Zack is experimenting with Dragon Naturally Speaking.  It's a computer program that allows Zack to read into a microphone and it types his words.  Then, Zack can go back through the text, and edit grammar and content.  He's having a little trouble with it right now because the program isn't typing his words accurately.  We're still in "training" mode for Zack and the program, so I'm hoping this problem will resolve itself.  My purpose for having Zack use this program is two-fold.  One, I'm hoping he will learn to enunciate more clearly; and two, I think it will be helpful in encouraging Zack to include more information in his essays. 
     Zack's reading fluency is still very low, so he used a CD for his novel studies.  He followed along in the book, while listening to the audio.  He would not have been able to get through the book in the allotted four weeks if he hadn't used this approach.  To help with vocabulary, he uses an electronic dictionary that speaks the word as well as the definition.
     For spelling, he is using a program called Sequential Spelling which is designed for dyslexics.  The DVD reads the word, reads the word in a sentence, repeats the word, then allows time for him to write the word on his paper.  Then, the spelling of the word is read and also shown on the screen.  Zack receives the information auditorily as well as visually.
     With all these technological resources, Zack can work independently for much of his day.  If I have an appointment, I can trust that he is able to get through his work without me.  It helps him generalize to other teachers and teaching methods, and I can see that it makes him a more confident student.  Plus, I think it helps break up the day and makes it more interesting.  If I were in his shoes, I would get tired of hearing just my voice all day!  But not only that, it gives Zack a variety of ways to learn: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.  They all overlap and help clarify lessons for him.
    These are just a very few of the resources available.  More and more are becoming available as educational experts take into account the different learning styles of students.  It's exciting to see some of the websites that are being developed to help all kids learn.  Not only is it more interesting for the students, and often more effective, but it's also getting them prepared for the digital working environment. 
    

   

Soccer, Drama, and Grades

     Where can you find kids playing sports without caring who wins or even what the score is?  Where can you find parents cheering for all the kids on both teams?  Where can you find coaches with the patience of  saints?  At Challenge Sports, that's where!  Zack started soccer today with his group of teammates who all have special needs.  Most have Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, or Downs Syndrome.  The coaches are parent volunteers.  High school kids, earning Community Service credit, come out to give one-on-one support to those who need it.  It's a great way for our kids to experience team sports.  Without it, they would never know how it feels to make a goal, coordinate with a teammate, and practice good sportsmanship.  At these games, you rarely see a fight amongst the players, they don't give up on themselves, and they encourage each other no matter what team they're playing on.  It's a great opportunity for learning sports skills and social skills.

     Monday was the first day of this fall's Ensemble class at Sacramento Theater Company.  Zack is the only autistic in this class.  He was involved with this company last year and it went very well.  The instructor has experience with kids on the autism spectrum and does a really good job helping Zack reach his acting potential.  The other children in the class don't really know what's up with Zack, but they treat him kindly, giving him fist-bumps and high-fives for good acting.  They seem to know he needs a little extra support.  The class teaches improvisation skills and how to deliver monologues.  They also learn a short skit with at least one other actor in the scene.  Last year, Zack started out over-dramatic with big sweeping arm movements and exaggerated facial expressions.  By the end of the year, he had toned it down a bit.  It will be interesting to see how he progresses this year.  It is something he really loves. 

     I meet with Zack's certified teacher this week to go over his work.  I need to turn in grades for each subject.  Math and Science are easy to grade since we do the traditional textbook/workbook/exam method.  Drama and Art are more difficult, since I don't test him on his work.  And, English  includes so many categories it makes me dizzy:  grammar, spelling, writing, reading, vocabulary. There are very few tests that I give for these subjects, so it just comes down to scoring his daily practice.  He's doing great work, and I see that he is progressing and learning.  I wish I didn't have to give a grade at all, but that's part of our educational system.  I get that it measures how much a student has mastered a topic, but I wonder what it really proves about a student's true success.       

        

Hip Hop and Head Colds

     I enrolled Zack in a dance class called Move and Groove.  Yes, it's a Hip Hop class!  It's a great way for Zack to get exercise, and he actually has some talent in being able to remember choreography.  I had enrolled him in a similar class several years ago, but had to pull him out.  The teacher was very soft spoken, so Zack couldn't hear anything she said.  And, there were too many kids in the class.  At that time, Zack wasn't very good at knowing how to stay in his "space" and he would bump into the other kids.  The other kids were getting angry with him.  I didn't think it was important enough to stick it out, so I bailed.  Zack said he didn't mind.
     Now, Zack is so much better at judging where his personal space is and where the other person's space is.  Plus, the teacher is excellent.  I haven't told her that he is autistic.  I was going to, but there were already other kids sitting with her when we entered the room, so I just decided to let it go and see what happens.  I usually feel it is a good idea to tell the teacher right away, so that she isn't surprised by Zack's strange comments, or by his immaturity, or by his anxiety.  It's one of the reasons why I dread signing Zack up for a class, because I worry about the conversation I need to have with the instructor:  "Zack has autism, but he's really high functioning.  He has a lot of language, but he gets easily confused.  You may have to repeat instructions.  He sometimes speaks out of turn and will talk about seemingly irrelevant topics....."  It's not that I mind advocating for him, it just makes me feel uncomfortable.  I don't know how the teacher is going to respond.  I've always been a shy person, just wanting to fit in, not wanting to cause any problems for anybody.  Having a child with autism has forced me to come out of my comfort zone and speak up.  It has gotten easier, but it is still stressful. 

     We didn't do school today.  Zack has come down with a cold.  Bless his heart, he was willing to take his Algebra test, but he looked so miserable.  He got about half-way through, and I told him he should go back to bed.  This is one of the reasons why I decided to home school.  When Zack was in kindergarten, he got sick every month.  He would have a cold for three weeks, be healthy for one week and then start the cycle all over again.  I'm the type of mom, that if my child is sick, I do not want him to be around other people, especially other kids.  One time, I kept him out of school for four days because he had a fever and the school nurse called me to see if she could help.  She couldn't understand why I was keeping him out for so many days.  I don't believe in medicating with over-the-counter drugs to get through an illness.  I let the body heal itself with the help of herbs and homeopathy.  It takes however long it takes, but the healing is more effective.  (But that's another blog, I guess.)  Anyway, it's nice to be at home where Zack can do work if he feels up to it, even if he's sneezing and coughing.  And, if he's too sick to work, he can make it up on a Saturday down the road.  He doesn't get others sick, he can heal at his own pace, and he doesn't get behind in his academics.  It's a win-win-win!      

Week One of 9th Grade

Although this is my eighth year homeschooling Zack, I have a daunting feeling about getting through high school.  Can I provide the best education for him?  Will he get the most out of his high school experience?  I enjoyed high school so much, I feel like I'm cheating him out of the social experience by keeping him at home.  But then, I have to remind myself that social experiences aren't the same for him as they were for me.  For him, being in a class of students is not exhilarating or exciting.  Sitting next to your "best friend" or the "cute one" is not motivating or enticing for him.  All he hears is the noise and all he sees are the distractions.  The anxiety in him builds and builds until he is in tears.  He begins telling kids to "shh,"  and "pay attention to the teacher."  Of course, he's right!  The kids should be quiet in their learning environment.  But, it doesn't make Zack a popular student.  Kids don't like to be told what to do by other kids.  "And anyway, what's wrong with that guy?" I imagine they think to themselves.  Not all classes are stressful for Zack.  He enjoyed the Mad Science classes I enrolled him in.  But he still tried to control the class.  

After talking to the counselor at Visions in Education, the public charter school I home school through, I am convinced that this is the best option for Zack.  He can pursue his interests in drama and cartooning, and get the one-on-one academic teaching that is so important to him.  After receiving his STARS scores, I feel confident that this is working for him and that having him graduate with a diploma is a feasible task. 

This first week went great.  I had some apprehension about taking him to the gym for his  daily exercise.  New experiences are often very difficult for Zack.  If the "picture" in his mind doesn't match up with the reality of the experience, it can cause a meltdown.  A meltdown for Zack is heightened anxiety displayed by pacing, verbal sounds of agitation, and eventually tears.  However, when we walked into the gym, he didn't make a sound and he had no problems getting on the treadmill.  We started at a slow 1.5 mph pace until he could adjust his balance and get the hang of the feeling of the earth moving beneath his feet!  He had his MP3 player which has recordings of Disney movie theme songs.  The music always calms him down.  Before the end of 30 minutes, he had increased the speed to 3.5 and was even jogging a little.  He enjoyed the exercise and we went back the next two days. 

All other academic topics are about the same as previous years.  We are continuing with Saxon Math.  This year it's Algebra.  Since reading is still a challenge for him, I got The Phantom Tollbooth on CD.  He follows along in the book and then completes comprehension questions.  He's a strong science student, so Earth Science shouldn't be a problem.  Other than that, he will be taking a drama class again, and he is working on his cartoon drawings.  After getting the first week under our belt, I'm feeling less angst about it, and am looking forward to another year of teaching Zack.