Monday, December 16, 2013

Practice: a part of life

Surprise note from Joey.  senk 2013
Humans have a habit of making practice a punishment or a dull task. Often, it causes the opposite of anticipation and, many times, it can lead to procrastination. But, a more positive look at practice yields heartening responses.

Journaling is a part of Joey's homeschool curriculum. Now, when I say "curriculum," I use the term loosely - because, everything he's learning is an amalgamation of resources and manipulative (often ones unfamiliar in a public school setting). Joey, and Ezra for that matter, has a composition notebook, which he fills with fun facts, thoughts, and tidbits from lessons throughout the year. Two to three times a week, he adds to the journal. You can ascertain his thoughts on the solar system, what he knows from German, his illustrated perspective on an erupting volcano, his favorite line from "Green Eggs and Ham," et cetera - all from leafing through his journal.

Joey's journal not only provides a grand assessment tool, tracking his progress in handwriting (for example), but also a tool for practice. As Joey learns about the world around him, he reads books (with increasingly less help from his Mommy) about the subjects he is learning and practices his writing and comprehension by journaling about what he learns. With the school year half over already, Joey is showing how all that practice is paying off.

Earlier this week, my husband called me from the kitchen to the stairwell. "You have to come see this," he exclaimed.

Waddling a bit due to the weight of a nearly-completed pregnancy, I came to the lower landing and noticed, scrawled on a piece of scrap paper, the words: "Joey's in bed."

We both smiled and laughed at the secret note our Kindergartener had left us - revealing his whereabouts. There was something more though. I was also happy to see Joey applying what he was learning - not through drills or memorized rules - but, through making practice a part of his life.

Joey doesn't see practice as drab or painful, but as exciting and natural. By incorporating learning strategies and materials based on his interests, while reinforcing key concepts pertinent for him to learn at his academic and cognitive level, Joey is flourishing in the homeschooling environment. 

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