Anxious-and taking it easy! · Thursday January 11, 2007 by Ann
I took Alice in to college today-she wanted to get there early to make sure the laptop is there for her exam. Yesterday a lovely home ed friend who lectures in sociology, came over and revised with her, reassuring Alice that she does know her stuff for the exam today. I still can’t help being anxious for her though, exams for someone with SEN are always going to be even more nerve wracking than normal.
David caught the second bus in, he hasn’t got a lesson until the last session, but wanted to be there early to revise with a bunch of folks from his class. He has the first of his second year A level exams at the end of this month.
Lucy had a lazy start. She is still recovering from the weekend away, followed by a sleep over after Explorers on Monday night.
We were meant to be going to a local home ed meeting, but by that time Lucy was working on something on her laptop and she didn’t want to stop-and who am I to disturb such industry now that she has finally ‘got it’?? It is unusual for her to want to miss this group meeting, as she usually loves the team games, such as rugby, which is the focus of this meeting.
So instead of rushing round, preparing a packed lunch and dashing to get out of the door on time, we had a real ‘taking it easy’ afternoon. I actually got some phone calls done for work, arranging to see clients at a later date. i didn’t however do anything about painting the middle room which is was the other thing i was supposed to be doing!
There was a time when the middle room was our dining room. However, since our children have become teenagers-and are home educated, it seemed that personal space has become more important.
The girls used to share a room, but without a school desk or locker or anywhere else other than here, to have as any sort of
personal space, it seemed like a rearrangement of the household has become necessary. The room that was the study has now become David’s room, the study is now located in what was the living room, the living room has now moved into the dining room and the dining table moved into the kitchen-and one of the freezers went out of the door to make way for it. We have lost some family space in this but gained on personal space. Now the children have somewhere totally of their own-where they can retreat, have friends round, make a mess etc. Dh and I now feel much less guilty for using our bedroom in the same way and now have a stereo up there and it has become our sanctuary as the children’s rooms have become theirs. And we no longer fall over bodies all over the lounge, when other HE teens come to stay!! Dh and I remind our selves that one day we will have our study back-but until then we are enjoying the company of these lovely teenagers whilst we can!!
After a relaxing afternoon, we suddenly had a rush to get Lucy to dance classes as we hadn’t realised the time! She does ballet, tap and freestyle. She has also become a member of the ‘Dance company’ at the school. This is incredible, IMHO for a child who was so dyspraxic and dyslexic she had no sequencing skills and who couldn’t remember which move came next! Slowly, slowly she has improved from being the one hiding at the back, copying everyone else, to the one who the teacher asks to demonstrate! She came home tonight with the news that the dance company will be performing at a big show in March, in Manchester, in front of approx 4000 people.
I am convinced if she had been struggling with keeping up with the pressures of school and the home work, she would never had time to practice and develop as a dancer-and I wonder if the exercises and routines have improved the dyslexia and dyspraxia symptoms. We’ll never know for sure of course, one can never be certain that what one is doing is best for ones child-you can only ever go with what you think is the right thing to do and then hope for the best. So far we seem to be doing alright!
Back from a brilliant weekend away Hibernating weather, but we got going eventually!
Yes when it’s down in writing I realise how much you kids have come on. Although I new, I didn’t?
— Hayley Whitehouse Jan 11, 01:06 am #