New news for Lena....

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Well, since Lena has struggled with reading, ever since she was really little, we have been trying to figure out what the issue was. We tried to take matters into our own hands, so to speak, by my teaching her reading lessons. That, as we all know, evolved into my taking her out of regular school, and now we have had her in an online Public Charter school. It resembles homeschooling in that it is HOME. Now that I have actually DONE it for a while, I will also point out that it does NOT resemble homeschooling and very much resembles traditional PUBLIC schooling in format, content, and schedules.

It is not the most flexible for a student who has any extra challenges. I have not had much assistance in that way. It seems that they are not equipped to deal (despite their claims) with children who may take longer than your average student to accomplish their lessons. It is frustrating to want to have something that will bring out the best in Lena, yet I feel compelled to stick to their "Schedule" and format and kind of feel like I am ramming information down her throat at a rapid fire pace. Obviously, not an ideal situation.

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I read everything to her for the most part. Which is why a lot of our lessons take extra long, are time intensive for me because I have to be right by her side for EVERYTHING. I have taken the angle this year that no matter what I would not let her be stressed out about reading, after all the post traumatic stress she had from previous schooling, I wanted to build her confidence back up and allow her the freedom to try and read on her own terms,no pressure from me.

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I had done a decent amount of research over the past little while, and was all but convinced she was dyslexic. I even attended the open house of a special private school that caters to dyslexic kids.

That all changed on Monday of this week!

After a completely random google search, I ran into the website of an AMAZING woman with her PHD. who specializes in helping kids with reading problems, as well as specifically helping homeschoolers to come up with a custom curriculum! And she was only a 1/2 hour form our house!! We went to see her on Monday.

It was so revealing.

Within only a few minutes of watching her read several books, the Doctor told me excitedly that she was DEFINITELY not dyslexic, and had a rare but treatable VISION problem!

It was such a relief to hear, but sad at the same time because I felt so sorry for how hard it has to have been for Lena all this time, if her eyes are having trouble focusing properly on the words!!

She told me that we have done an amazing job of getting her to read so well despite her vision issue.

SO, that is where we stand now. Lena has an appointment with an eye doctor who has been trained in a certain exam that tests and treats the problem she most likely has. And with possibly a combination of wearing eyeglasses and daily eye muscular therapy, it can be fixed!

I am so relieved. SERIOUSLY.

Also, The reading Doctor advised us to get out of our online academy, and she is going to help me come up with a custom homeschooling curriculum that will specifically meet Lena's needs, work WITH her learning style and bring out the BEST in her! I am so grateful to have met this awesome woman, and I am so excited to grow with Lena in our homeschooling environment.