Home School

I thought it was about time for another room makeover. This time is not technically a room but a space I found and re purposed.

My sweet little Asha has really struggled in school and for all her hard work and efforts, was just not progressing. I was told many times to not stress and that she would get it, things would just click and I had to feel confident that the trained professionals knew more about my baby in this instant than I did.

Lesson- trust your mother gut!!

After neurological testing, she was diagnosed with severe dyslexia and performance anxiety, which I always thought was just shyness but apparently it is linked to their fear of failure. Imagine trying for hours a day, to memorize simple words, that ALL of your friends can read and spell and knowing you WILL get them wrong :( My heart hurts just thinking about it.
Anyway, after gathering tons of info from experts, I am full of hope, that with a special method of multi sensory training, an awesome tutor and gobs of effort on hers and my part, that Asha will be able to read and function in a classroom eventually. 10% of people suffer with some form of "learning disability" I hate that term but that is how it is described.
(Just for kicks, here's a list of successful people with dyslexia:
Einstein,Tom Cruise, Richard Branson(virgin Atlantic)Charles Schwab (bank)Winston Churchill, Jon F Kennedy,Tommy Hilfiger, Andy Warhol, Cher, Jackie Stewart (racecar driver)Kiera Knightly to name a few.)

So for now, Asha and I will be working together at a "home school" to fill in the gaps of the past 2 years and get her on track with learning. It was not my plan to be "that" Mum, with baby strapped to breast, walking around in tie dye, keeping my kids from the worldly clutches of society but after attending a home school conference I realized there are many just like me, that had to seek an alternative to the "one size fits most" way of learning. It is a blessing that I have the time and means to do this and that's why I am painting.
This "school" required a space without distraction, with room for books and curriculum. I found it in a dark loft area at the top of our stairs.

We started by adding a sunlight tube which is incredible. It adds daylight where a skylight wasn't an option. I painted a very light bright blue then added storage (gotta love IKEA, although I miss my girls trips to Cali)


Then I used a method that I learned about designing spaces to fill it with things that would inspire. For Asha that is artwork so markers and crayons, plus to finish off, the most comfy chair in the world for reading. Asha and I sat on every chair in every store and this was her pick. I was thrilled since it's so cool looking.



If your still reading this extremely long post, I would like to explain dyslexia in brief.

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It is not simply reading backwards.