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A few days ago I talked about getting ready for the start of the new school year, albeit a bit early by most folk's standards. Well, it appears to be paying off in little ways that I hope will add up to something bigger.

For starters, I popped into our local bookstore while on a trip to the mall with my son. He watched me buy two new curriculum worksheet books, one for Grade Three (which he is currently in) and one for Grade Four. We also picked up a pack of multiplication flash cards and a set for division. To my surprise, my son pulled out the books and cards on the way home. He began talking about feeling excited about the coming "year." Out of the blue, he came up with a reward system for completing lessons, which led to a helpful discussion about goals and rewards for his schooling.

I've set up our work space (two adjoining desks in the living room) where we now keep our laptops up and running. I also brought home a couple of books and videos from the library, much like the kind we get during the school year. For now, I'm just leaving them lying on the coffee table, hoping they will help my son get back in a school frame-of-mind without putting on any pressure.

Other things are happening as well.  I'm beginning each day with our school schedule in mind, rather than my own projects. Seems like a minor thing but when we homeschool, I sometimes find it difficult to keep house and school activities separate.  I often find myself thinking, "Gee, why don't I just wash up those dishes while my son's watching that video" or "Wonder if I have any new emails?"  Next thing I know, we've deviated from our school routine altogether and it can be nearly impossible to get my son back on track.  I've learned the hard way that my son takes his cues from me as far as our priorities are concerned.

Come to think of it, the truth of this "getting back to school" business may have more to do with me making the transition rather than my son...

This past week marked the official start of "Back to School" at our house. 

Back to school starts early for us because our son has some neurological issues that make learning challenging for him.  For now, "back to school" simply means an occasional, gentle reminder that we'll be starting school again in a few weeks.  He's a bit nervous, yes.  Applying himself to academic tasks doesn't come easily.  But, he's also glad--relieved, may be a better word--that we've decided to homeschool again this year.

Last year marked our first year as a homeschool family with a special needs student. The decision to homeschool didn't come easily.  In fact, we maintain our son's IEP with the local school district. But after two years of watching him struggle in traditional classrooms (despite having the IEP and a well-meaning support team), my husband and I came to the conclusion that it would be much less stressful and potentially more productive to keep our son at home.

The change has been remarkable. His stomachaches went away. He's been the healthiest he's been since before his preschool days. There is room in his day for the tics, obsessions, and compulsions that annoy him and the flexibility to make sure he gets the food, exercise, and rest he needs to keep them at bay. His curriculum comes in a package that plays to his strengths--computer and auditory based--while we use his intense interests to practice skills that are more difficult (e.g., composition). We are able to minimize sensory distractions and take frequent breaks.

Even with these supports, school can be difficult for our son. He's a bright kid but his brain won't allow him to focus like a neurologically-typical kid. A large part of our work this past year has centered on teaching him how to recognize when he needs a break, how to take the break, and then how to get right back to work--instead of acting out. We've also been working on how to recognize when his vocal tics and behavioral compulsions are getting out of control and how to take a break from social situations when this happens. Then we go right back in and try again.

Similarly (and this is for those readers who fear we're limiting our son socially by keeping him out of a mainstream classroom), we work constantly on social skills.  Every moment of every day is a lesson in social skills for our son. He is with an adult at all times who works constantly to build up his social skill repetoire one small step at a time, across a range of social situations. An interesting discovery this past year has been that he actually has a fairly respectable set of basic social skills. They are masked by his tics and obsessions which, unfortunately, are aggravated by the stress of social situations.

For now, back to school means we are getting ready for the coming change. I've decided this year to try reintroducing school gradually, starting with an hour or so a day a couple of weeks before Labor Day. We can build from there.

Someone once used the phrase KISS--Keep It Simple Sweetheart. That's exactly what I intend to do.