This year – with the reading increasing – he was still on Frog and Toad at the beginning of the year as a favorite read – I took the opportunity to focus in on grammar and English.  I have tried all the Ruth B. ways – the Charlotte Mason ways and the unschooling ways – to find no spark of achievement or advancement.  So – since we were starting from scratch – I felt that a step by step process of daily learning would be a good thing. (through prayer and God’s leading). We took the online test for A.C.E. School of Tomorrow and ordered the P.A.C.E’s that they  suggested.  Nathan went through PACES 1019 – 1057 in the last year and a half. We skipped some of the 40’s as they were repeats to introduce a new year – and a couple of the 20’s if I remember.  A PACE is designed to last one month – to cover details – rich in character building – and including enough checkups along to the way to mark if he has grasped the concept enough. 1059 is the last pace for 5th grade – meaning that 1060 will start an official 6th grade year in the fall.   – Again I hear my mentors and those that went before – they will learn to read – and will be caught up in a matter of months with those who learned the same information in the 5 years of time . . . .

The big cap off of achievement this year as been the development of his memorization.  I was again challenged by mentors to work on the memory day by day – as a muscle that needed development.  We spent 30-45 minutes working on bible memory – put songs on his Mp3 Player and PSP – favorited the songs on YouTube – checked out CD’s from the Awana Library – wrote the verses, put them on cards – immersed in the verses for the year.  After four years in Awana – Even a year in Cubbies on the coast – Nathan finally finished One Awana Book.  T&T Book 1.  He has been working on it for two years – even through the summer. I am the Awana Secretary this year and I bawled like a baby when he came up and said he had finished this Thursday – I thought he still had 4-5 sections left to memorize. (He typically can do one section per week of working on it 45 mins a day). 

Tears. Of joy. Of Surprise. Of those who had gone before. Of those who are yet to come. Of thankfulness to my mentors. Of thankfulness to the faithfulness of a Father who will continue to guide us. Of thankfulness to parents who have supported my crazy  unschooling ways. Of friends who did not judge. Of friends who did and offered kind advice. Those poor Awana T&T’ers.  Staring at a crazy secretary with streaming tears. No huge bawling noises, just streaming tears.

I am excited to move forward from where we have come. I have looked forward to these learning days since we started. I have no expectations that learning will ever come as easily as I see from others – But I do have expectancy that in His timing – the learning will come – and I know that He has the plan layed out for where we are to go.

I pray for boldness of speech, and giving of time, and loss of fear of rejection – do do as those who have gone before have done for me – to share and challenge and offer unwanted advice – in love and in joy and in respect of their family styles of learning. I pray for others who have gone before to share as well. 🙂