Sonday Learning System

OK we went ahead and bit the bullet to purchase the Sonday learning system for H1. I have been to a few lectures on this and am just amazed at what I am learning about the way she learns. It is so different for me. I am one of those people that can just learn by immersing myself in something, by reading, by well, anything.... learning comes so easy to me.

It isn't the same for H1 - she is struggling and it isn't that she needs more time, it isn't that she hasn't been exposed (we read, read, read here) , it isn't that she doesn't have a desire. She just learns differently. We are on day 7 of a 9 day "test" for the OG philosophy to see if it makes sense for H1 and the difference is amazing. Her success his astounding. Can she fully read, no not yet, BUT why I say she is experiencing success is.... She has never had the confidence she does now to attack a word that is unfamiliar. She is enjoying it, she says it is fun. I am so happy to see her enjoying learning, enjoying learning to read, BEING CONFIDENT that she can do it.

An example one of the lecturers was giving today - the word switch. For half the population - we just know it. We see it, we are told what it is, perhaps helped to sound it out - and that is that. For other kids, it just doesn't work. They need to understand the rules of the language. tch almost always follows a short vowel - things like this. Things many of us don't need to know. BUT there are kids who do need to know.

The whole concept of reading "whole language" learning the words, without the process behind them, does not work for some kids. We talked about kids who can read a word on one page and have no clue it is the same word on another page.

H1 watched the "training" video with me for a while tonight and I couldn't believe how excited she was to tackle this. "Mom, this is so much fun. They are doing some cool things." It has given her something that I could not. I didn't know how to help her, her teacher couldn't help her, her reading specialist was struggling to help her. (For next year she has qualified for an IEP and will be getting OG based reading help.)

I have always heard... read to your child and they will read. Expose your child to a literate environment and they will read. It will come, "their window will open"... I wish I would have trusted my gut a little earlier when I felt there was something wrong. I wish she wouldn't have had to struggle. I am so glad I have reached out for help for her. I am so glad that her confidence is back, I am so glad she is trying.