I learn new things daily...

I am slowly figuring out Reese's learning styles & his trends in picking up new skills. It is becoming quite apparent that Reese is not a child with a "just keep trying!" attitude! If he's not able to do something within a few tries, he gets so frustrated & stops doing whatever activity it is. For example, he is having a very hard time using scissors & cutting. We have various types of scissors, all designed with beginning cutters in mind, but he's just not interested in practicing. He'll try to cut paper, & after about 3 snips, gets so upset & stops.

But then, one day, he will aquire a skill & then he's off and running. A perfect example happened this week. Reese received this great bike for Christmas, and he's shown little interest in learning to ride it. Oh, he WANTS to ride it, but after trying a few times, he can't make it pedal forward & just gets mad & quits.

Then, out of the blue...he hops on the bike Monday & he's off and riding! After thinking back, it seems that Reese does this with most things. As a baby, he was very happy sitting & not crawling, but then when he was able to pull up to a table he was walking before we knew it. He didn't crawl much at all.

Many examples fill my head. Then I wonder if this is how his educational journey will be. Will he be a "slow learner" and have a hard time learning to read or write? Then one day, will his little light bulb turn on & he'll zip through sentences like he's been reading for months? I know when I taught 1st grade, I had learners like that. I look back & wish I would have had the guidance and knowledge to realize that perhaps they needed more TIME...not more teaching, not more special groups, not more pull-out classes, not more tutoring...simply more time for their minds to blossom they way they were meant to...not the way MY curriculum says they should be. Sure, plenty of students fit the mold & easily progressed with my daily plans. But I wish I had been more understanding of the individual child & not the "mass of children" I was responsible for daily.

And now...drum roll please...check out Reese riding his bike!