God Brought Us To It

Four years ago she complained when reading picture books and dug her heals in at the shear mention of a chapter book.

But on Friday she was finishing book 2 in the Narnia series she has determined to read.  She just began with The Magicians Nephew last month... and here she is on the final pages of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  How did we get here?

God brought us to it.

My patience with her was not always what I would have liked.  But when God intervened, and I bent my knees and heart in prayer for her... everything changed.

Her reading progress went from prayer into submission... my submission.  She had to learn how to read and become educated through ADHD.  And I had to learn to teach through ADHD.  And letting go was a vital step.

Back then...

I let go...

... of all books having to be READ by her and allowed her to listen to some audio books while 'reading' along.  I also continued to read chapter books, voices and animation included, at bedtime.  My hopes were to spark an interest in literature... to see stories as an adventure she might want to take on her own sometime
... of expecting her to read on-and-on-and-on for 15 minutes straight all by herself and we would read together, trading off on pages (in picture books) or paragraphs (in chapter books).
... of expecting her to read every chapter in a chapter book as I transitioned her from picture books to chapter books.  Instead I rewarded every chapter she read by reading a chapter to her (essentially taking turns on chapters)

I started...

... rewarding her reading time with computer time.
... renting movies which were based on books she had read.
... taking her on field trips that helped her actually see and touch similar settings from the books she was reading.
... encouraging plays and crafts inspired by the books she was reading.

Exploring and drawing at a not-so-"Secret Garden"

Puppet Show from The Magic Tree House's "Sunset of the Sabertooth"

She...

... got tiered of the audio books... she wanted to know what the non-audio books said.
... got tiered of waiting for me to get done with my turn reading and told me she didn't need my help anymore!
... didn't want me to read chapter books to her anymore, I think it interfered with her own private interaction with the text... and she wanted to develop her own thoughts on accents and voices and images!
... doesn't care as much about the computer time as she does about finishing a story to see what happens.
... looks forward to the movies to compliment her reading and often fills everyone in on the details the movie is missing! (Living book report!)
... sketches pictures from stories and has found a love for art and an opportunity to put on paper that which her imagination is enjoying
... has discovered that reading is and adventure and she is an adventurous individual!

... and now!

After four years of submission to prayer, trusting God, letting go, and encouraging (instead of complaining and riding)... she prefers chapter books with NO pictures ('I like to paint my own picture in my mind' she says!), she gobbles them up one-after-another, and I can't do anything except sit back, watch her read, and feel the joy that comes with obedience to homeschooling God's way instead of my way!

If you have a challenged reader in your homeschool, I encourage you to pray, submit, and let God lead and work in your teaching and their learning... and watch miracles happen.  

May God Bless your homeschool,

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