Stressed of Sheffield
I have to say that I am finding this period of our ‘home education journey’ incredibly stressful at the moment. I really wish there wasn’t this big ‘thing’ about learning to read and about it being the be all and end all of everything. So much value is placed on this one skill and with that comes this pre concieved idea of it being learned before the kids get to around about age 7 (this is the biggie I think, so many times have a I read stuff that implies if you learn to read early you are clever, but that is so not true for everyone). So now that M is at age 7 and not reading for pleasure yet, I’m really feeling it.
I will say however, that I am one of the biggest culprits of what I’ve just said. One part of me says that it’s not the be all and end all right at this moment and the other just bloody wishes he could read Harry Potter so I could get people off my back and make me feel like I’ve succeeded in one little way. Yup, I’m getting hassle again from the family 
I was feeling rather pissed off the other day at our lack of progress with both A and M. I felt that in the big 2 areas, Maths and reading we haven’t got anywhere. I feel like I’ve been saying ‘Oh M’s really coming along with his reading. He’s getting there.’ And yes he is, but I just feel like a broken record! So I thought I’d look back through the archives and see how much they had both progressed in the last 6 months or so and tbh I wished I hadn’t!! Rofl! On paper it just doesn’t feel much. It’s hard to gauge how much more comfortable they are with stuff in a tangible way.
So I gave up on that post 
I have noticed something today with M though. We were doing Explode the Code with both A and M before I decided to back off with reading for a bit. M was doing book 3 at his request, he’d mostly got the hang of 3 letter words so we didn’t persevere with all of books 1 and 2. The last time I blogged using it was August I think. M could read the sentences in the book but it was a struggle for him. I think we could have persevered really if I’d wanted to, it was enough of a challenge for him. But today we looked at it again and it really showed how much he’s come on in just the simple reading of a sentence. He seems to have so much confidence in giving it a go, gets most of the words right and is happy about doing it. I’m really happy with it. I still don’t want to push too hard, but really 2 months ‘off’ (from my gruelling hothousing lol!!) has done him the world of good. I think one thing I always worried about happening, if he was at school, was it being too hard for him and for him to get the feeling he was no good at it and for his confidence to be dashed. I think I can safely say that hasn’t happened so far with him being at home. He reads things all the time and tonight while doing bedtime stories he decided he was going to have a go at reading one of the picture books. He read the first page really well, some faltering, but then it wasn’t an easy reader but a picture book for parents to read.
I think I will feel so much better when I’ve got both of them independently reading (don’t we all), I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the actual getting there when it seems lots of people are waiting for an excuse to point fingers and look down on you has been harder than I ever imagined. It’s the age thing though I think, they expect a lot from M now he’s 7 I think and it’s an easy thing to say ‘oh look he’s not reading’ whereas other aspects of his education aren’t so easily pinpointed. I’m really lucky that my parents are ok with HE and give me no grief, not so lucky with J’s side of the family and there have been a few issues this week. But we’re away for 2 weeks now and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon!
*edit* and I really shouldn’t read the BBc’s Have Your Say bit. If you hear teeth gnashing then it’ll be me (ala Marge Simpson style).
