Methods and Choices
So much to blog and so little time............
Retta showed up at the kitchen table this morning with her bicycle helmet on her head, a notebook and an ink pen. "Mom, how do you spell, precious?" She wrote it down in the notebook. "Okay, spell tiger." "Now, spell nominate." This went on until she had a long list of words. She sometimes does this most of the day. She has a notebook almost filled with words. She says she is learning to read..."first I have to know how to spell all the words, then I will know how to read them." I resist the temptation to try to "teach" her to read. I know she is capable of doing this on her own and it is a fascinating process to watch unfold.
I asked her about the bicycle helmet and she said she was wearing it, "Because it is comfortable." She asked me if she wore it to school would the teacher make her take it off. I told her I couldn't say for sure, but most likely she would be told to remove it. To which she replied..
"Mom. I would hate that, I need more choices, even though I am small, I am a human and all humans need choices. If my life feels better one day because of a helmet, then I need to make that choice. How could you make that choice for me...you don't know what is inside of me. If I need to do art, right at this moment, then I should be able to do art! I know when it is right. I would hate school for not letting me do art when I want, or if I needed to stop a minute and hang my head upside down on a chair...sometimes that is the only way my world looks normal...people should have more choices."
I replied that I agreed.
Musa commented on the spelling issue relating he needed to learn how to read the words first and then learn to spell. (which he is working on lately) It makes no sense to him the way Retta is approaching reading. He did remark how great it is that they have both had the freedom to learn it their own ways.
So much to blog and so little time............
Retta showed up at the kitchen table this morning with her bicycle helmet on her head, a notebook and an ink pen. "Mom, how do you spell, precious?" She wrote it down in the notebook. "Okay, spell tiger." "Now, spell nominate." This went on until she had a long list of words. She sometimes does this most of the day. She has a notebook almost filled with words. She says she is learning to read..."first I have to know how to spell all the words, then I will know how to read them." I resist the temptation to try to "teach" her to read. I know she is capable of doing this on her own and it is a fascinating process to watch unfold.
I asked her about the bicycle helmet and she said she was wearing it, "Because it is comfortable." She asked me if she wore it to school would the teacher make her take it off. I told her I couldn't say for sure, but most likely she would be told to remove it. To which she replied..
"Mom. I would hate that, I need more choices, even though I am small, I am a human and all humans need choices. If my life feels better one day because of a helmet, then I need to make that choice. How could you make that choice for me...you don't know what is inside of me. If I need to do art, right at this moment, then I should be able to do art! I know when it is right. I would hate school for not letting me do art when I want, or if I needed to stop a minute and hang my head upside down on a chair...sometimes that is the only way my world looks normal...people should have more choices."
I replied that I agreed.
Musa commented on the spelling issue relating he needed to learn how to read the words first and then learn to spell. (which he is working on lately) It makes no sense to him the way Retta is approaching reading. He did remark how great it is that they have both had the freedom to learn it their own ways.
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