# Happy Me! Fiber son wins 1st place in.....



## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

I posted this under the schooling forum to encourage students there who might struggle with a primary skill but it has a fiber association also. My son has a reading disability and works so very hard to overcome it. I have posted his fiber pursuit, he started with crocheting a rose and stem. Karrick is 17, and taking a small engine and repair class at Warren Technical college. They had a state competition yesterday where 4 colleges brought their best students to compete. This was a skill based test along with 115 questions and personal interview... My son was doing this for fun, I thought he might place and was hopeful. This would give his self esteem a nudge. He is friendly, well mannered and a great young man..he just doesn't think he is very smart..but he is! There was one table skill he struggled to get through the reading...then answered what he had time for. He shrugged and said, I could have answered every question, I ran out of time because it took me too long to read the material. Being good natured, he didn't complain, and we left after it was over, the winner was not going to be announced until today...we got the call. KARRICK WON 1ST PLACE for the State level competition and now he goes on to the Nationals in Kentucky....This is his teachers first student to win first in this competition since he has been teaching his class!

Those talented mechanical hands labored over the crocheting of a rose and stem but he did it with a stern concentration...unlike me who smiles as I work..but for him it was a new skill. It took him hours.....he never gives up on anything and the rose was treasured by his girlfriend. That focus is the stuff that drives us all, starting something new only to find it challenging, our stubborn nature tells us we can do it ...my son inspires me! In his nature he also possesses that ingrained voice....you can't stop until you are done. Many of us seem to have that with our crafting...I am relentless with a project. I just had to share my Happy news!!!! :icecream: I took him out for icecream and I made him a special dinner. :banana::banana::banana:


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Every kid should have such a cool mom. 

It is a general rule that cool moms raise cool kids, you know.

Congrats on the fruit not falling far from the tree. :thumb:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Congratulations Romy, you have every right to be proud. :bowtie:
I also agree that cool moms generally raise cool kids.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Funny how another cool mom shows up, all out of the blue like that.

:grin:


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Great!

As for his reading, try this: a gel over what he is reading. Sometimes you can find binder dividers that are plastic/vinyl and come in see through colors. Blues and violets are popular, but he may find yellow or green works well. If he puts it over the page it will cut the glare.

He can also use an index card and make a cut out the height of one word and length of about five words. Moving this along the text can help him to focus on what words and phrases he is reading by blocking out everything else.

Also, I find a lot of schools do not teach students to divide words into syllables. They want them to guess and memorize the shape. This is how we typically read, but it doesn&#8217;t help much when you run across a new word. If he doesn&#8217;t know how to divide words, teach him. He should write the word out and divide the syllables with a line, then write the word out a few times.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

[QUdoesn't seem ura;7435225]Great!

As for his reading, try this: a gel over what he is reading. Sometimes you can find binder dividers that are plastic/vinyl and come in see through colors. Blues and violets are popular, but he may find yellow or green works well. If he puts it over the page it will cut the glare.

This is a great suggestion, we will try it!

He can also use an index card and make a cut out the height of one word and length of about five words. Moving this along the text can help him to focus on what words and phrases he is reading by blocking out everything else.

He doesnt have his eyes wander, and focuses very well.

Also, I find a lot of schools do not teach students to divide words into syllables. They want them to guess and memorize the shape. This is how we typically read, but it doesnât help much when you run across a new word. If he doesnât know how to divide words, teach him. He should write the word out and divide the syllables with a line, then write the word out a few times.[/QUOTE]

We took him out of school in 2nd grade when they were unable to get him past the alphabet. I tried hooked on phonics, flash cards, syllable memorization but what works for him now is word memorization and being given textbooks on mechanics with really hard long words. He loves reading mechanical manuals but reads slowly. He struggles when given time frames to have reading done for a test. He reads in class 4 hours a day. He is doing great, just goes slowly. This did affect him with the 10 min tests in competition. In 8 years, he is the first one in his teachers class to win first! In the technical college he has a 4.0 in his subjects and there are more than ten parts he is graded on. We are amazed at how far he has come. I love your suggestions! Especially the color one.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Forerunner said:


> Every kid should have such a cool mom.
> 
> It is a general rule that cool moms raise cool kids, you know.
> 
> ...


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