What A Relief

It has been a few weeks now using all ACE and supplementing with whatever I want, and I must say that I feel a hundred times better.  Laura is less stressed too. Oh, there is still work to be done.  But now I don't feel like I'm unsure what Laura is learning.  I know what she is learning.  I can keep track not only by asking questions but by looking at her work.

My opinion about ACE has undergone a complete transformation since this time last year.  The approach by ACE is gentle and wonderful.  I have the comfort in knowing that Laura is studying a tried and true curriculum that has been used in Christian Schools for generations.  Yet, I also have the time and the freedom to do other things with her. 

I am a book nut, and have tried living books curricula.  Unfortunately, I just felt so locked in.  I didn't feel any freedom to choose books I wanted to read to Laura. Often, by the time Laura got done reading and I read the read alouds to her, I had no desire to read anything else.  Oh, we discovered a few wonderful books.  But most we would have tried anyway.  Plus, I never truly knew if what Laura was reading was sticking with her or teaching her.  Narration is a wonderful thing, but Laura often needs time to put her thoughts on paper and guided questions to help her think about what she had read.  I sometimes had difficulty doing that.

In the morning Laura does her work.  Her main work is usually done around lunch time.  Now, that includes ACE and her Reason for Handwriting and Math-It practice and Reading Skills book and Independent Reading and Bible lessons.  Sometimes it takes a little longer, but as you can see, she does more than just ACE work.  Then, we have lots of time for Read aloud time.  I am also trying to get Laura to read to her little sister Megan every day, even if only for one short story.   Not using a literature based curriculum has actually increased our reading.  I can pick and choose more easily now.  Laura is going to read a Magic School Bus book for Science next week.  We are starting the Little House series.  (We've already read Little House in the Big Woods.)  Laura is reading Martha Finley on her own.  We love reading, and ACE has not taken away from that.

I treat Laura's ACE differently than I do Tasha's.  Tasha is graded traditionally, based on test scores.  Most of her work and tests are turned in to the lady that is making her transcripts.  For Laura, however, I have the freedom to do things differently.  I think daily work counts.  Laura is graded in three areas;  Daily work, check-ups, self-tests, and tests.  At the end of each pace I add up the total points for each area. Each area is given a percentage score.  The total of all four percentage scores are averaged and that average is the grade for the pace.  At the end of the semester an average of all paces completed will be her grade for the class. Daily work, check-ups, and self-tests can be corrected one time if they are wrong.  I am always willing to help if Laura doesn't understand something.  However, for tests she is on her own.  If Laura scores below an 80% on anything she must redo the work.  So far, she hasn't had that issue but once or twice.  

Yes, this means grading papers nearly every day.  But I would have checked her work anyway.  She doesn't check her own work with answer keys.  I grade her work.  I can see pretty quickly if she is getting it or not.  I also tend to ask her questions here and there to check for understanding beyond copying facts from the lesson to the questions.  So far, she has had no problems.  

For now, I think we have found our groove.  That makes me extremely happy and relieved.  I no longer feel so stressed, not knowing if I am teaching the right things the right way.  I no longer wonder if Laura is learning.  She was getting so frustrated that she was losing all her love of learning and reading and anything school related.  I can see that changing.  Her love of reading has come back.  She is beginning to enjoy learning about different subjects like Social Studies and Science.  Her favorite is read aloud time again.

I feel confident again.  I am taking joy in teaching my daughter again.  I've stopped putting so much pressure on myself.  Oh, there are things I would like to try and things I would like to do.  But now I don't feel like I've failed if I don't get to all of them.  We study ACE, we read, we explore life together.