I stepped back

We have had a little of a rough week in school.  I messed up.  We were doing math.  I started him in lower math so that he would build his confidence and it has worked and he flies through math most of the time.

This week they were teaching a concept he already knew but they were teaching it in a different way.  So I made him do it that way.  Math that takes us maybe 20 minutes took us 90 minutes for two days.

It was reminiscent of the days before I knew what I was dealing with - the days before the dyslexia diagnosis.

After the second day of this I finally let him finish the back side of the paper how he knew (because a friend encouraged me to).  He was done in about 6 minutes or less.

Today I let him do the same thing but I was standing over him and we got to the last problem - a word problem.

I read it to him as I often do and I saw the wheels turning in his head.  I started to jump in and say "Write that down.  It's too big of a problem for you to do in your head.  You won't get it right if you don't write it down."

But I stopped myself.

I waited.  And in a few seconds he told me the correct answer.  To my astonishment, because it was a multiple digit problem that he did in his head.

He was proud.  I was proud.  I didn't jump up and down because I didn't want him to know I didn't think he could do it.

He did it.  He can do it.  I just have to step back and let him try.