Online Learning

Homeschooling has been going well this year, mainly because I think N has found his groove and A is pretty independent and motivated. N still puts up some resistance, but he's learning at a good clip and he is doing well in the areas that he disliked the most, mainly reading and writing. I'm not sure why he feels this way because he does so well in both. When he reads out loud, he does such a nice job, reading clearly and concisely, inflecting in all the right places and projecting his voice. When he writes, there is a wry humor and wit (dare I say sarcastic?) that is hilarious, but even still, unless we nudge him a little, he is not always inspired. Oh well, these things take time, right?

In his defense, he is a bit restless, and who can fault him for wanting to go outside to ride his bike or build a fort? They say boys have more restless personalities, and I see it in myself, as well. He does love math, though, and takes it very seriously. It's cool to see. Now if we could just get him to play the guitar or something along those lines. If he understood that guitar is a babe magnet, maybe he'd be more motivated, but he's too young to appreciate that sort of thing. Maybe in a few years.

One area that I think will help spark both A and N's interest is online learning. There are an amazing number of resources online to learn not just for basic academics, but for pretty much everything under the sun. I don't think it can replace traditional studying (i.e., books), but the magnitude of information sure is impressive. Plus, for the kids, it's more fun and interesting going online, and there are more opportunities to learn cool and fun stuff, like programming and game design.

We'll see how it goes, but it increases the avenues that we can pursue, and plugs us into the 21st century. You can't beat that.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Tamz Craig for the pic.