Term Four - Part Two

The last half of term four was not a particularly productive period of time. End of year fatigue set in shortly after our return from Broome. 

Unexpectedly though, Bee decided he was interested in undertaking some courses at TAFE in 2025. Together we researched what requirements he needed to proceed. He has shown an interest in becoming some type of therapist.

In 2025 he will undertake Cert II in Adult General Education in semester one, with a view to do some other courses in semester two (as yet to be decided).

Term 3 - Part Two

We were all knocked out with the flu (again) for the best part of the second half of the term. Bee has reached a point where anything that looks remotely like "school" is a no-go. 

Our focus has been on everyday life skills: cooking (planning a meal, shopping for it, preparation, and cooking), hygiene (personal, hygiene with food preparation, etc), discussing how taxes work in Australia (and how it differs from other places like the USA).

Thai yellow curry - Bee's favourite

Term 3 So Far

I'm not sure where the last few weeks have gone. It has been a bit of a blur. We have definitely moved from a relaxed home-schooling approach to unschooling/natural learning approach. Anything formal results in strong PDA and set backs. This has been a complete leap of faith for me, but I can see the results and Bee's confidence grow.

I had started the term with some prepared materials, having purchased a molecules model set. It was met with mild interest. Later that same week we were in the kitchen preparing breakfast, and in the process of making an iced chocolate drink the glass exploded. This totally captured Bee's interest and we discussed how the hot air and water trapped by the ice-cream caused pressure on the glass due to the uneven temperature distribution. Bee posited some theories about which forces were at play and we debated as to whether it was an implosion or explosion. After some research we found that it was an explosion rather than an implosion. These moments are far more invigorating for Bee than anything I can plan.

There have been some breaks recently in the dreary winter weather, allowing us to get out in nature more. We have enjoyed some family walks in the forest and visited the waterfalls to see the effects of all the rain we have had. 

The most recent podcast we have listened to was about bonobos with anthropologist Natalia Reagan. Natalia mentioned that bonobos, chimpanzees and humans have a common ancestor which lead to some robust discussion about evolution and DNA.

Bee has been assisting me with shopping and experiencing first hand that maths is indeed a part of everyday life. Working out prices based on cost per kilo, percentages and fractions have been highlighted through his experiences. Bee has been playing Geometry Dash again, building his own levels. He relishes making impossible levels.

Glimmer

 

A better start to the week. Bee has taken an interest in creating some videos and graphics. So we started the week with an introduction to Shotcut and Canva. He was pretty overwhelmed by some of the technical aspects of using these applications, so small steps. Bee has a tendency of becoming impatient and frustrated when he doesn't pick up new skills straight away. He wants to be an instant expert in any new interest, which can be tricky. 

Bee chose 1984 by George Orwell at the book shop the other day. So far he has only flicked through it, but it is the first time in years he has chosen a book for himself. 

Bee also enjoyed some games of pool with us this week, first time in a while he has wanted to. We also went to the library to find out what resources are available for us. We have been looking through the audiobooks available on some of the apps.

Rethinking School & PDA

 

The start of the week Bee was still unwell. It gave me a chance to catch up on a heap of webinars from The PDA Space Summit. 

Although I did not feel I had learnt anything particularly new, I found it really helpful to hear the different perspectives from individuals who have a PDA profile, advocates, educators and professionals on the topic. I definitely came away more confident and reinvigorated.

For Bee something came up in therapy that he isn't ready to discuss with me yet, so I decided this is not the week to put forward my ideas for how to change up his learning. After everything from the webinar I felt it would be best to give him some time to recuperate from being ill and space to figure out what is going on in his mind. 

We listened to a podcast about evolution with Dr Richard Dawkins.  

Not Enough Spoons

Bee's capacity this week was very low. All his spoons were used up for basic tasks and allied health appointments. He mentioned during therapy he was feeling stressed and not ready for learning.

We did manage to listen to a podcast about Galaxies with astrophysicist Dr. Jacinta Delhaize (we may have found a new podcast - Cosmic Savannah).

We also had a very robust conversation about conveying stories and how different mediums (tv, movies, video games) use different ways and tempos to unfold a story, especially in terms of time limits/constraints. We talked about "filler" - Bee felt that a lot of story telling has unnecessary scenes or arcs. I explained that this can be a way to control the tempo of a story and provide deeper understanding of certain characters or ideas. This links back to our visit to ACMI.

Another robust discussion we had was about the social and economic impact of automated registers in retail and fast food chains. Bee doesn't really mind them because for him he'd rather not have to make small talk when making purchases. We talked about the need for low skill/entry level jobs for people and the economy. 

Term One Reflections

 

The wheels fell off my plan fairly early. Bee changed his mind about the Work Ready course - he became quite anxious about doing it. So we have left that for another time when he is ready.

Starting home-school I knew that the more formal the learning feels to Bee, the more resistant he is to engaging. He likes to be on the floor and our style is conversational. The more relaxed Bee is the more he is likely to take initiative. For example when we started our study of nouns, he took the white board and started taking notes before I even had a chance to ask him. 

On the days Bee is only mildly avoidant I find that we can sit somewhere and watch YouTube videos. We have subscribed to around 40 educational channels (some of which are listed on our Resource page). I have also started curating some playlists based on topics Bee has expressed interest in. 

When Bee and I travel together we always listen to podcasts. We enjoy comedy podcasts with an educational element, such as The Dollop. 

Bee has been enjoying playing pool, and spends a lot of time practicing his angles. He also enjoys playing and creating levels in Geometry Dash.

I'm finding it takes Bee longer than I realised to process some information, especially if it is related to choice. I am learning to give him the information and then to follow up a couple of days later. Pushing too hard just leads to shutdowns and/or meltdowns. Too much choice is overwhelming, so I am trying to balance these instances as best I can.

We are still experimenting with ADHD medication. Bee is overwhelmed by large amounts of text and/or data. He has communicated that he often forgets what he has just read and loses his place on a page. He has mentioned sometimes words get jumbled, speaking with his OT this could just be because he loses his place whilst trying to read. 

Moving forward I will be looking at ways to provide smaller chunks of text. For example  I have some sample comprehension activities from my teacher studies I created that we can use as a starting point. If having these smaller chunks of text help reduce Bee's demand load it will hopefully be a way to build on his reading skills.

Learning new concepts seems to draw the most demand avoidance with Bee. He is prepared to do a math worksheet or some spelling words, but its harder to engage him when teaching new concepts. Mostly this centres around maths, and it maybe that I need to experiment with various lesson videos and hopefully find the right fit. When he was do DE they used the mathspace program, Bee did not like the presenters voice and that would be all he could focus on. 

Week Nine

 

It was a busy start to the week as we prepared for our first family holiday in a decade. Between allied health appointments and packing it was already Wednesday and time to fly.

Bee was highly anxious as there were so many unknown variables with this trip. He was worried about his sleep, the flight, having safe foods, being away from home and being in a big city.

Bee navigated all of the new experiences quite well. We attended some comedy shows, ate out at a variety of restaurants and admired the architecture whilst roaming the city. 

One of our key destinations was ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). The centre has an amazing display of historical and contemporary pieces celebrating moving imagery, showcasing several pieces from Australian cinema, television and gaming. 

Bee was mostly interested in the optical illusions and displays for some Australian developed games which included sketches and outlines for story development. He also took an interest in some of the prosthetic pieces on display.

This trip gave Bee an opportunity to see a glimpse of the wider world and enjoy new experiences. There were definite times where he was overwhelmed and finding it difficult to communicate his needs in that moment, but there were also times he was able to overcome some of these difficulties without our intervention. 

Week Eight

 

This week we managed to get some work done on Bee's terms. I'm trying to keep demand low and bribes minimal. 

Monday - Bee asked to do some punctuation revision. He said he wasn't very confident with comma's and apostrophes. He wrote some sentences and used his comma's appropriately. When working on apostrophe's he wasn't very keen to use some of my/text examples and spends quite a bit of time thinking of his own. 

Tuesday  - Maths: Fractions, decimals and percentages revision. I think Bee surprised himself with how much he really did remember on this topic. 

After our work was done we went for a drive and listened to some podcasts, one on the Human Heart (only got half way through and Bee was overwhelmed thinking about it due to his recent testing) and the American Revolution.

Wednesday - Sleep issues have raised their ugly heads again (I don't think it truly goes away but rather gets to a point where Bee is unable to cope). We went for a scenic drive and finished our podcast on the American Revolution.

Thursday - Physiotherapy day. 

Week Seven

 

Now the weather is starting to cool Bee has been wanting to go for more walks and move his body about. He is still incredibly work resistant. The other day I gave him a choice between a maths worksheet and an English worksheet - he chose the math worksheet.

We had planned a trip to Augusta with some friends who also home-school, with primary focus to visit the Historical Museum. On the day our friends were unable to join us and when we arrived in Augusta the museum was closed (website said they would be open). We will try again next term. 

Week Six

 

I've been sitting here reflecting on this week; it felt like a particularly difficult week. There were two BIG emotional days, a lot of resistance. Looking at my diary though there were some educational positives.

Bee wrote (!) down some the things that are bothering him at the moment. He made a pros/cons list for our upcoming trip as he is anxious about some aspects of it. 

Podcasts we listened to this week were about Constellations, Elephants and one about the attempt to begin a New Australia in South America. 

Bee confessed he felt unsure about punctuation, so we did some revision focusing on full stops, comma's and apostrophes. 

Bee wrote his own math equation which led to us discussing different strategies, why certain strategies are important and provide the basis for further learning. I asked if he remembered BIMDAS - he said he had heard of but doesn't recall it.

We ended the week with a podcast on genetics - a topic that is close to home at the moment.

Gently, gently

 

Bee is still in a heightened state. At his psych appointment he agreed to beginning some more structured  "school work" at the end of the week. His PDA is aggravated by the high cortisol levels from stress and anxiety. 

Upon reflection I should not have started with Maths. I had some worksheets ready, they were to assess his number and place value knowledge as this was an area I identified last year that might need to be revised. As Bee encountered concepts he was not confident and/or familiar with he began to shut down. Then spiralled into a meltdown. 

Fresh Start!

 

I am so excited for 2024! School has been a real challenge for Bee from day one. He has faced exclusion, bullying, being misunderstood, being the scapegoat, as well as his educational challenges.

Don't get me wrong, there have been good days and good times along the way. Unfortunately being neurodivergent means Bee tends to dwell on the negative experiences. His journey has included a variety of educational settings ranging from Montessori, public school and distance education.

Our distance education experience really opened my eyes to where Bee is at academically, as well as a better understanding of how he learns. This blog is a space to share our learning journey and record some of our day-to-day activities and experiences.