Phey are you also coming up against an asynchrony gap between his data input needs and his output ability?
ABSOLUTELY. I am so confused as to how to teach to his level and his age at the same time. I don't even know where to start in subjects such as Language Arts, where he is so wildly advanced, but I have to imagine he has holes somewhere. For example, somehow he learned phonics and usually can spell better than I can:), but there are some words he needs help with (rarely). Do I even bother doing spelling, or do I just figure that he spells as well as most 4-6th graders, so by the time he is actually that age, he will have probably got all the kinks out as well? His reading took off this year, stamina wise...and now he can read (latest Percy Jackson) no problem. But is he ready to really analyze it, or write a paper on it - no. So what do I do with it? We tried talking about it, took an online mult choice test to test comprehension. Do I move onto diagramming sentences - that doesn't sound like fun to me, will it to a 5 year old? I think the asynchronous age vs ability vs output is really mentally throwing me off. I am lost as what to teach let alone how to teach it. Math is easier to tackle for me, as it is just a list you can go down fairly orderly - but LA can spawn off in so many different directions, and you can be doing stuff much more advanced in it, but have bigger holes, so it seems.
Honestly-- parental instinct isn't just the most important thing here-- IMO, it's the ONLY thing.
Her resistance to instruction and authority has
always been evident. "Oh, sure you can always tell {DD}. You just can't tell her much," as the saying goes around here.
She's still a nightmare for most teachers in a traditional setting. If I'd allowed an unschooling structure with her-- NO WAY could she go to college. And she needs to go to college, because her inclinations and interests (and dare I say-- her vocation) lie toward the hard sciences. That's not 'self-study' territory in a larger sense of wanting her to become independent and self-supporting as an adult.
Anyway. I think that if your gut is telling you that he needs an hour or two of externally imposed structure each day-- DO IT.
Yes, this is what my gut (and my husband) is telling me! He needs structure and he needs to learn that just because he is intellectually gifted does not mean that he is the authority.
Someone else also said (Mana) that just implementing more family structure- bed time, meal time, bath time, etc. might be enough to start this process. I reluctantly agree, and DH wholeheartedly agrees! I know I need to do this - it is just a very weak area of mine. Just adding this structure to our home will make it so we can be more flexible with schooling. So thank you so much for this insight; DH double thanks you.
I really feel like I have received such thoughtful advice here, and it has helped me start really thinking through what the real issues are.
My game plan going forward is that I need to be MORE engaged, give more undivided attention, read to him more (I quit this year when he really took off reading chapter books on his own- but just bringing that back for the past three nights has been a big help). Realize that most learning in the past and in the future will likely be less formal, but that is okay, because he learns by play, and we don't have to be working down a checklist of math skills in order to be learning math. But we as parents should be modeling doing math and enjoying it as a mental game (I think we have been fairly good at this, but I really loved that suggestion and want to keep it forefront in my mind). And I really need to reel in the computer time, replace it with more outside time, and get a grip on this now, instead of waiting for 10 more years of ugly habit to sink in. This is going to be the hardest, as it will mean that I need to have less time to myself, and that I need to get more organized and more engaged! The challenge really seems to me now to be framed that I need to somehow teach myself structure! Looks like I am the one here in need of that lesson.
I haven't looked at any of the catapult links yet, but I will. So thanks for those as well. Well, time to get off the computer and get engaged with this wonderful kid!
