Last post I spoke of the turmoil my daughter was going through. That was about 18 months ago. The whirlwind of tears and tummy aches continued all year. The outcome, November 2011, Ruth became so sick, she could hardly move. Doctors, specialists, Mayo Clinic contacted. By the end of December, she had only attended school about 5 times over the course of 6 weeks. The specialist gave us a note for her to be schooled at home, if she needed to be. In our town, that means tutoring. I was so tired of fighting with the school system. My daughter needed something different. My husband and I chose to follow our guts.
We took the PLUNGE!
Homeschooling began on the day that the school finally decided that our family might need some help. Take it easy, the resources say. 6 weeks to 6 months of decompression. Our instincts are that she needs 'school', but we began slow and easy. The hardest assignment the first week was to write thank you notes to family members.
We tried some curriculum assessments. They are 'go at your pace' and we chose not to use the publisher. The results showed us where to start. Back in the third grade level of math. We shook our heads, but we figured, better to start slow and easy.
Sentences, and single digit multiplication. Therapist appointments spent on how to build confidence.
Jump ahead to the end of January. Recheck at the specialist. The final outcome: by following our gut, the doctor said we did the BEST thing for our daughter. We can expect it to take much longer than 6 months for her to recover from the trauma of what she experienced in public school. Not that the teachers were awful, but there was no support for her there. Our sensory kids struggle with feeling safe in their own body. Anxiety reeks havoc in their minds.
This month, Ruth has started 2 different 4H clubs, is volunteering at a local cat shelter, began a "Girl's Circle" group in a nearby town. She attends Sunday school and church with limited struggle. And she is looking forward to her pottery classes that begin in March.
Tummy aches? Rare, and obvious to anxiety. Tears, well, they are more than I would like. But, she is changing from little girl to young woman.
I couldn't be more pleased with her progress, and hope to begin to track more here. Especially since we are still Sensing the Differences.
1 comment:
I am glad you have decided to post here again. I feel more connected to you and to Ruth. I believe that chose correctly as well. the changes that I have seen and experienced in dealing with my beloved grandchild to date have been terrific and filled me with hope for her and a brighter future. You and Darrell are doing a good job with this new lifestyle.
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