Tonight was another tough night around here. School time is rough because Monkey has issues with her hand writing. I wrote about it here. We have tried all sorts of suggestions from the school, the Handwriting Without Tears Program, we do activities to build her fine motor skills, we do tactile activities but she still has problems. She is on a waiting list for an occupational therapist but who knows when she will see one.
A few weeks ago at the parent teacher interview it was suggested that we try cursive writing with her or calligraphy because they are more flowing and artistic it might be easier for her. The teacher didn't understand how she has problems writing but can draw detailed pictures.
I can't believe that the school board doesn't think that teaching children how to write is not a fundamental skill. If you want to build a house you need to have a secure foundation. How is that foundation secure without writing? And the research I read shows that reading and writing go hand in hand and guess who also has problems with her reading?
The other thing that they talked about was ordering a smart pad for the class room use for her so she can type. Because apparently typing will help her because we type everything everyday. I've been told we need to work on 10 minutes of typing with her so she can learn to type.
I work full time, have 3 kids I need to care for, a house, spend time with Rock, my blog, my crafts and oh maybe some me time. But I have to struggle through homework, all my other responsibilities and also do extra work with her.
Tonight's homework session was particularly brutal. There was a lot of tears (hers), frustration (both of ours) and yelling (mine). It took a lot to get her just to work on her spelling words. I finally pulled out the laptop and things went a little easier. I just wish I could waive a magic wand to make it better. Why can't I spare her this frustration? What did I do wrong? What am I doing wrong?
I hope we can figure this out soon for all our sakes.
Ania
3 comments:
:( Poor peanut - she sounds as frustrated as you! I hope you can all find a solution soon! <3
Talitha's school uses Handwriting without Tears. They're starting cursive this year. (which for sure she wouldn't have had at a public school) If you could swing it; a year at TEAM would probably make a huge difference in helping you dd catch up. I hope you don't mind me putting my two cents in.
Just keep at it. It will work out for you. Remember "patience is a virtue". Something I haven't quite mastered yet but working on it.
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