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As of mid-February, I've decided to take a detour in the path of my daughter's education. I love HOD and really miss the Bible and all the excellent books that go along with it. This has been a tough year for us, as my dd has struggled immensely in her math and her reading skills just do not seem to be picking up very much. I really felt I needed to focus on those areas. I was at a loss to know what direction to take. I recently met with an educational consultant out-of-state who was recommended to me by Susan Barton. She specializes in dyslexia and also math. It was not by chance that we were able to meet with her. It just so happened that at the time of referral I was planning a trip to my daughter's who was due to give birth to her first baby. I was driving right through her state AND city on the way to my daughter's. The Lord knew what we needed. After her assessment, she told me that Angie shows strong signs of dyslexia. She also recommended a special method to remediate her in math. I am planning to begin the Barton Reading System within the week. This will cover reading, spelling, writing, and vocabulary. She recommended that no other writing be done for a while, except what is in the reading program. As I was advised to spend 45 minutes to an hour a day in each of these programs, I plan to just add a light science and history reading/activity and do Bible/character through other resources. Another area we need to pursue is an ophthalmologist for Angie's eyes. She had strabismus at birth. Although she had surgery when she was young to correct the problem and later was given prism glasses, she is still having some vision problems. We have been seeing an optometrist, but my consultant is concerned that Angie needs more specialized care for her eyes. She is concerned that her vision could worsen if things are left as they are. So, I feel I need to focus on these areas and do more extensive teaching in the two programs that I mentioned, which will take us through next school year.

My hope is to come back to HOD in the fall of 2014 and begin in Preparing, when, Lord-willing, Angie will be ready to handle more writing and do some independent reading. Just being gone for the past month or so, has reminded me why I chose HOD in the first place. I really appreciate Carrie's testimony for the Lord and how it is reflected in the content of her guides, and sweet Julie's love for the Lord and encouraging words just when we need them. When I told Angie we were not going to do HOD for now, her disappointment was that she would miss the 'ladies' from HOD I was at peace when I made this decision, but I keep coming back, because I know this is more than a BIble-based curriculum. It is a ministry that points others to Jesus Christ. The spirit on this message board is good. I know I will occasionally pop in, just because you are like family, and I am going to miss being a part.

Please pray that Angie will make the necessary progress through these special programs. I will look forward to the time I can be here with you all again.

As a mom of a severely dyslexic ds, I feel your "pain." It is very hard to see them struggle. We also have used Barton for several years. It is tedious and slow, but it really does teach them how they need to learn. They don't intuit language at all and need a rule for every variance of language. My ds is very good in math, so I can only imagine the frustration in having that be a weak area as well. Don't despair. I had to make the tough decision to shelve HOD for the past fall semester. We just HAD to focus on those extreme areas of need. I added most of HOD back in this past semester, and it has brought back the joy of school for both of us. May I make a suggestion? Make sure you add in just a little fun/right brained stuff to do - maybe a little art project or craft each week. I kept the poetry/painting activities from CTC going so that my ds would have SOME element of the day that was enjoyable because, honestly, Barton and intense math remediation will be kill-joys in a huge way! It is nice when you come back to HOD, but I don't think you'll regret taking some time off and cementing some of those fundamental skills. Feel free to respond to me here or PM me if you would ever like to bounce anything off of me or are curious how I have adapted HOD for my ds. We are just finishing up CTC this spring! Can't wait for RTR!
Laura

Laura, My consultant advised me as well about making sure I let Angie do fun stuff. Actually, she gave me a sample morning routine of fun, hard, fun, hard. She is to work on these things through the summer. I'm not sure how that will go over, but I can understand why. I'm just relieved that I found someone who could help. She's not claiming to have all the answers, but she is confident that these programs will help Angie. I'll let you know how it is going. Thanks for the encouragement.

Praying for you both as you go through this time!

Just wanting you to know that I am praying for you and your dd. (((HUGS)))

Oh I so know how you feel! its a bit like bittersweet chocolate, Yes you have hope for the future and for a season you have to leave something you love. Sweet Potato left HOD for a season and I put her in Public School and then just theripized her it felt weird but I was at peace. What is great, is we were able to come back to HOD eventually. I do need to accommodate math and her writing but she is learning and loving it again.

Everyone's Journey is there own and we'll miss you, so pop back in often!

Thanks for the prayers and encouragement.

Tansy-Yes, it does feel weird. When I read threads about what everyone is doing, I feel like we are missing out. I thought it was just a matter of changing our format or simplifying things, but it is more than that. So, I need to persevere and work through these programs and basically forget about anything else for a while. I did decide to do some history read-alouds to finish the time period that we were doing in Bigger. I don't want to miss the history in Preparing, so that is why I have the goal to come back to Preparing after a year in these other programs.

I said right from the start that I believe the Lord led me to HOD when I knew I needed to pull my dd out of school 3 years ago. I even said I would not use anything else. In the position I have found myself now, I can only say, 'Lord-willing' this is what I plan to do. I believe it was the Lord's will that we were able to meet with the educational consultant on our trip. As much as I have appreciated HOD, I am at peace with this decision. We seemed to be at a standstill in some areas. We can't move forward until these areas are dealt with.

A big step is making sure Angie gets the best eye care. Her appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist is this coming Wednesday, April 3rd. Please pray for the doctor's wisdom to know exactly the best treatment for Angie's eyes. This one area could make a huge difference in her reading, even if she does have dyslexia.

Taking a slightly different angle on this ...

About 6 months ago, our 10 year old was "diagnosed" with severe dyslexia and dysgraphia. While I didn't have a diagnosis before that, I knew that the writing and some of the reading were outside him ability. We are also using Barton and seeing amazing improvement. However, we really didn't change how we have been doing things. We (me, 10 year old and 8 year old) have always done most things together and out loud. While the teacher's guide may say "write a narration" - we just did it verbally. The literature that Carrie picks is so great. As homeschoolers, we can choose what format the output comes in. In school, it has to be in written format, to prove they have learned something. At home, we know what our children have learned and understand. It doesn't always have to be in a written format. And just because they may have difficulty reading at a certain level, they can certainly enjoy hearing the great literature. (We do read together in the evening and also listen to audio books in the car. They get to meet so many interesting characters, even if their reading ability is challenged.

Pam

Pam,
I know we could still do some things in HOD, but with the cost of the Barton System, I feel I need to limit how many things I buy. Since all of the language will be covered in Barton, I feel it does not pay to buy the HOD package until Angie is pretty well done with the reading program. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I stopped Bigger because there was so much frustration, not because of HOD, but because I knew that I needed to focus on Math and phonics/reading and I wasn't accomplishing that. I really did not know where to turn. Angie was just not making much progress in those areas. I came to a breaking point. Yes, she'd be happy to have me sit and read to her all day. Anything to get out of math. I agree wholeheartedly that HOD has wonderful book choices. As I think about it now, I see how I could have continued the Bible, history and science in Bigger, even while doing the special math and reading program, but I no longer have it. Although it may not have been a wise decision, the Lord has worked things out for the good. My hope now is that in the next year Angie's math and reading skills will grow.

Angie really wants to be able to read well. We were in a discount store today looking at books. She was picking up books that were far above her reading level and saying she wanted to read it. I enjoy reading to her, but I really need to help her learn to read more herself. She is almost 10 and is at a stage where she gets so discouraged because she can't do some things other kids her age do (she has some physical weakness on her left side because of CP). Piano playing, which I believe she has the talent for, is hard because she can't read the notes well because of her vision problems. She can only ride a training wheel bike. She saw someone in Walmart buying a training wheel bike and she said she did not want to ride with training wheels because it is babyish. She will say she is stupid. These kinds of things have affected her attitude in different areas, especially in school. I want her to at least 'like' school. So, my goal for this coming year is to do some intense math and reading and then balance it out with things that she enjoys and is good at... nature, music, cooking, etc. She just came in from outside and brought a jar with ground and earthworms in it. We have been clearing out an area in our woods to set chairs and have a fire to roast hotdogs. She'd like to build a fort. This will be some intense physical activity for her, which was another thing my consultant recommended to help with her attention. We do Bible/character, a light science and history reading as well, but I don't want her to feel our whole day is spent doing 'school'. I just really need to do a makeover of our 'school'. We have 9 years of school yet, and I want them to be enjoyable years. I'm doing the best that I know to do right now for my daughter. If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to respond. I'm taking a day at a time.

Sounds like you have really thought things through! Well done! And yes, the Barton program is expensive, but I love that you don't have to purchase it all at once. One thing I noticed with mine about the piano lessons though, is that reading the notes is like math. Why is that space called C? It just is. There is no reasoning behind it, it just is. Once he is started on the correct note, he does very well following the flow of the notes, but he isn't really reading the music like I read the music. (I am very left brain, which mirrors his right brain strength.) I wish I could find someone who teaches how to play piano by ear. He is always picking out a song that he heard and figuring how to play it.

Sometimes you just have to simplify and focus on the necessary items, which is just what you are doing. With those basic skills covered, they can learn what they need to learn, when they need to learn it, later.

Pam

We will miss you, but pray that you have a good year! May the Lord help you sort through what is best for dear Angie at this time, and may He bless your faithfulness to Him through all of this! Give that little gal a big HOD hug, and tell her, Lord willing, we'll 'see her' in a year!

Love in Christ,
Julie

Thanks, Julie. It has been tough sorting things out. That is why I had to consult with someone who could give me some insight. I made an impulsive decision to change some things before I even met with her. If I would have been patient, I could have used these programs along with some of the Bigger stuff. Now I need to go with what I have and pray that there will be a significant outcome over the next year. I will pop back in sometimes and let you know how things are going. I gave your hug to Angie. She's not feeling well today, but I'm sure it meant a lot to her. Thanks for your prayers.