Thanks Austin. I've really been hoping that all he needs is practice and to get through his first dose of hard work. He's certainly not been challenged before beginning Montessori. It just kills me to hear how he doesn't like school and doesn't want to go, especially since this is a kid who absolutely loves and craves learning. When I got there to pick him up today (they called me to pick him up early because he has a runny nose), he was sitting in a group writing the names of polygons in his notebook with silent tears trickling down his face. Once we were in the car he explained how he has a hard time looking up at the board or book and then back down to his paper to write. He loses track of where he is or what he's writing because he's so focused on forming the letters correctly. He also said when he tries to write from memory or by using phonics rules, he often ends up writing it incorrectly and having to erase and rewrite the entire word. He still reverses some of his letters and spacing is still difficult, but it's gotten better in jus the 3 weeks he's been at the Montessori school. Hopefully this will continue, and I'll look back and be glad he was forced to work through this. I know he has to learn to work hard, and that often comes from overcoming a challenge or struggle. I just don't want him to lose his love for learning.
