Those "Helen Keller" moments

Yay Mo!!

That's so cool.

I definitely think that's the best way to parent/teach -- grab teachable moments when they present themselves, but don't, like, drill the poor kids. At this level, anyway. (Drills have their uses later on, like times tables, but at this point the meta-lesson of rewarding curiosity, instilling a joy in learning, is more important IMO.)

Yeah, it is cool.

I can remember a few times in my own life where things clicked into place and I finally understood something but it is amazing to see something so fundemental click into place.

It reminded me so much of that scene in the movie about Helen Keller where the concept of language finally makes sense.

Wow, that's so exciting, boomer. I hope you and Mr. B have another language in common since you can't spell things above Mo's head anymore!

Ummmm..... does pig latin count as a language?

m'iay aay adbay ellerspay anywayay.....

Oy!!! I remember the word moment for me.


I went from puzzling over how the hell those squiggles meant cat, to calling out all the shop windows and signs on the way into town on the bus with my mum.

Overnight.


From not getting cat, to calling out:

"Trotting Goods! Greengrocer! Demasius, roundabout the roundabout!"



I finally woke up to the fact that the whole bus was laughing at me, and sqidged up in the seat in utter five year old humiliation.

I hadn't gone to kindy, and my mum was too busy caring for my ill sister to try and do stuff like letters with me, so I was starting from scratch.

But, once I got it, oh joy! 'Twas like a duckling seeing its first pond.


Sounds like Mo is the same!!!

Ohhhhhhhh.

<shiver>

If Mo could turn out like dlowan.....

<sigh>

Happy me.

This whole language thing has been spectacular to witness.

He's not quite dlowaning yet but he seem to grasped that words make up language and letters make up words and spelling with letters is the trick.

************

What happened with sister, dlowan?

Have I missed a story?

<fingers crossed for a happy ending>

Er, no happy ending, I fear.

She had cystic fibrosis and died at 10.

Though, can I say that, like many dying kids, she was wise and possessed of grace beyond her years.


Do you know of the concept of an "old soul"? Well, she, and suffering kids I have worked with since, make me half inclined to believe in the concept, and all that goes with it.

I'm so sorry, dlowan.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean by "old soul".

I do some work with a charity that works with terminally ill children. Over the years I have come to know many of these children, and their families, very well.

I'm sure that you have seen many more than your share or old souls. It never gets any easier.

Your help honors your sister.

Try putting Mo to bed then rearranging the furniture.

How I love your threads, boomer.

Duckie started kindergarten this year having never been to preschool. At his new school they are already reading but he didn't even know all of his letters yet. His progress in the last two months is astonishing and watching him sound out words makes me so proud. His teacher even said she was going to move him to another reading group because he was making such a huge improvement. I wasn't there to see things "click" but I'm watching closely for the next one.

First, put him in braces to enhance his front teeth. Then start boxing him on the ears at least thrice a day.

Cool, FreeDuck!

I just witnessed one, sozlet was involved but it wasn't her. It was way cool.

Sozlet has been tying her own shoes for a while now, and evidently she's been helping her best friend (who can't) tie her shoes at school and such. After ballet class, BF went over to sozlet for her to help tie her shoes (instead of her mom, which was itself kind of cool), and sozlet talked her way through it -- first you do this, then this, then do that, careful not to do that, etc. Then for the other shoe, sozlet backed off and said, "Now YOU try it!"

BF honed in with razor-sharp concentration... first this, then this... then started muttering "I think I have it... I think... I think I have it... <as she pulled the bow> I HAVE IT!!!" Her eyes were just totally lit up and she jumped up and hugged sozlet and hugged her mom and grinned at me. Total euphoria. Very cute.

Sozlet also seemed very happy about her role as teacher, too, just kind of standing back and watching the euphoria with a pleased smile.

That is awesome! A two for one moment.

Two great stories -- yeah for Ducky and sozlet.

That is the coolest feeling when some thing clicks. I had been working with Effi the one year old with the word c a t and the other day I spelled it and he said Cat! I was so happy lol. One cause Tim my hubby said oh he wont be able to do that. Even though our daughter started about 2 and a half. but he felt that was just cause she is blind and doesn't have as much distraction as a sighted child. So now we are working on dog. I love to see kids discover new things they can do. Like the other little girl who is also 1 I call Saryn, she saw my daughter do a front flip and she has been trying to do the same ever day lol giving her self a bit of a rug burn on her forehead lol. But it's so cute to watch her try.