Little by little...

... the boy changes. Well, it's been just over a week now since we started trying the "unschooling" way of things, and already I'm noticing a few small changes in Gordy. He seems happier for a start. Sure, there's still the odd moody outburst, but overall he seems a bit bouncier and happier than he had been before.
He's more willing to do something productive with his time too... he used to spend most of his days outside on his bike or bouncing a ball around while telling himself all sorts of stories. A way of escaping boredom that would frustrate us, as there are so many other ways of filling in time when you're bored... ways that Gordy used to fight, ignore, and just plain avoid as often as possible. He seemed to prefer what was in his head rather than what was happening in the real world. But now... now he makes up a list every morning of the things he wants to do for the day. The list usually includes things like drawing, reading, crafts (which at the moment are more focused on sewing and paper mache), maths (this is one thing I'm insisting stays in there as a daily task, since it is his major weak point), baking, handwriting, and researching Egypt. When he's not doing anything, he'll come and check the list to see if there's anything else he can do on his own, or if I'm free to help him with things like the sewing/paper mache... the self-motivation may be a long way off still, but the first tiny bud is starting to form. When he was in the mood to read, he used to grab a comic book or something similar - now I quite often catch him reading things like his rock and fossils book, or one of the books on egypt or science.
For maths, we're starting to try out Algebra, a subject that took me ages to get my head around at school, but once it "clicked", I LOVED it, although I will admit I've forgotten most of it since leaving school *blush*. The scary thing?? Gordy has said a couple of times already that he's enjoying the algebra!! This, from a kid who hates maths!
Photography is something else he's starting to work on more as well... even if it is mostly pictures of himself!! LOL! But I will admit, he's getting more and more inventive with the photos he takes of himself... it's no longer just a case of point the camera in his direction, set the timer, and smile. Now, he's doing things like pulling his head into his jersey with a balloon hovering above his head or in his arms, so that it looks like he has a balloon for a head.
Poetry as well, has become something new he has started to try out, and found he likes. For a beginner, he's not too bad either! His drawing is improving heaps and has become something he really enjoys. It's also now done daily with more imagination and less copying from a book happening.
He'll spend ages on the computer looking at anything and everything he can soak up about Egypt, with a definite heavy leaning towards the more ancient egypt side of things. The lad is rather morbid with this.. being totally fascinated by the whole mummification process.
Even something as simple as looking up a word he hasn't heard before, something that regularly used to cause a fuss, is something that is now done calmly, almost happily.
Just over a week, and already this many changes. I still worry that he'll spend his day playing and mucking around, that this won't last... but there is now a much stronger flicker of hope that Gordy CAN actually find enjoyment in learning and learn to push himself. If I start worrying that he's not really learning anything, looking at this list helps... photography, maths, history, art, crafts, writing, poetry, science... all things he's now doing reasonably happily, usually by his own choice.
I can't wait to see what he'll be like in say, maybe another month from now??