This week Cameron made a request I thought I'd never hear - he asked that we do "school work", specifically he said that he'd like to follow and keep up with the work his peers are doing in school. It's all part of a desire he has at the moment to be a "normal kid" although he said he absolutely doesn't want to go to school. So we went curriculum hunting and found something that appealed to us both. It cost a small fortune but was adapted to Cameron's needs at no extra cost. We are just waiting for it to arrive now. Cameron has decided that he would like to do 3 hours of formal work in the mornings and then follow his own interests for the rest of the time. I think 3 hours may turn out to be too much but I am following his lead.
I feel a bit sheepish about telling people we are going to be following a curriculum at the exact time the review has come out and want to make it clear that we are not rolling over and pandering to the authorities. Whatever path we choose to take in Cameron's education we will always fight for the right for choice and freedom in education - just needed to get that off my chest!
Cameron's computer died a death this week so, much to his delight, we have ordered a spanky new laptop for him so that he will have more freedom about where he uses it. It has been an expensive week!
Cameron is spending most of his time reading at the moment, devouring everything he can get his hands on. He is very money motivated at the moment and enjoying doing jobs for money and counting his savings regularly. He likes to work out how much he's got, how much he will have in X amount of weeks, what he could buy, what he could do to earn more money. He drives a very hard bargain with prices and I'm being royally fleeced for everything I've got! At one point he tried to charge me 10p for every time I did something embarrassing (which is everything your Mum does when you're 9 apparently!).
And just because I hate to post without adding a picture - here's one of him painting in the garden this afternoon.
you know what hannah, sod what anyone may or may not think, you're doing what cameron wants and that is all that matters. xx
ReplyDeleteright there with the seed. I stopped our play all day the other day this week after it degenerated into far too much squabbling. I let the kids choose what they wanted to find out about though, and it's working a treat, I have happy cooperative kids again.
ReplyDeleteCurriculum that a child chose is still autonomous as far as I'm concerned, and that's the part that way too many ppl just don't understand.
totally agree there :-)
ReplyDeleteblinkin review, cameron looks happy and that's what really matters.
Thanks so much for your supportive comments - they were just what I needed to read :o)
ReplyDelete