My daughter has struggled with spelling all her life. Before we left the cesspit that was our local public school, she had been convinced that she could not ever learn to spell. I have tried more spelling curricula than I care to count in an effort to find one which would reach her. Finally we settled on Noah Webster’s The American Spelling Book (yes, that Webster – the one who wrote the American dictionary) circa 1836. I reasoned that literacy rates were respectably high in those days so they must have been doing something right with their lesson books. After working patiently at it with my child every day, something clicked yesterday afternoon!
She spelled and spelled and spelled…. and then spelled some more. With every word she got right, you could see her sit a little taller and hold her head a little higher. And then she would strain forward pleading for another word.
This is the biggest seemingly unattainable accomplishment we have achieved while homeschooling. And it makes all the work, and effort, and second-guessing, completely worth it.
I love homeschooling. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. But it is absolutely, hands-down, the best thing any parent can ever do for their child.
One Response
Wow, that’s awesome! Congratulations to both of you!!