Is your student ready to Write for high school or college?

I had a couple of  "Ahhaa" moments this week, and I'm hoping that in sharing them they will inspire you to keep going, even when life gets in the way, even when you get in the way, and even when you think you're not doing enough.
I have a son with severe dyslexia. He and I have shed many tears and many struggles. We've gone through more curricula, online classes, and tutors to even count. He's been tested within the school system and privately. Oh, how I try to do what's best for him and still seem to fall flat on my face in a pile of tears and frustration. If any of you have a struggling learner, then you know what I'm saying.
  We are now in his 8th year of school, and for some reason, he has decided that reading is important, and he has started helping me, help him. We are way behind typical school standards...way behind. We are leaps ahead of anywhere we've been before and I am rejoicing the WIN! I can't say I did anything right, and there is plenty I did wrong. I do know that I worked my hardest to keep our relationship first and his learning second and to foster a love for learning. Those are two things I have said to myself every day for the last 8 years. Again and again and again.....I have dedicated myself to giving up my need to prove anything by my homeschooling or the achievements of my children (not an easy task for this people pleaser). What I am learning each year is that my child's passions fuel his learning. He is a passionate person, and incredibly driven. Through this understanding of his type of person, we've found a balance. I gave up my need to control his daily schedule and I gave him the freedom to be the driver of his education. Scary!? Yep, super scared. Here is an example of our balance:
  This morning, He woke up on his own at 6:30 am, he did all of his chores, his math lesson (except the problems he needed help on), bible, Spanish and some research for history. (yep, my dyslexic kid did some online research...WHAT!?) He then impatiently waited for me to help him with his math and get started with the rest of the troops on the subjects we do together (history, reading aloud, writing). By 10am my phone was blowing up with people (full grown adults) asking if he was available to go shoe horses, help ride a few horses and practice team roping at a nearby ranch. This my friends is my son's passion.  He currently co-owns three goats and holds ropings at our home, He's working in Phoenix and Camp Verde for two different farriers (horse shoers), and is helping a rancher break in new horses for team roping. School work may never be his passion, but being able to read a text for a job, speak intelligently to customers, make business deals to own and care for livestock and read magazines about how to become a better team roper....the list goes on. We found a reason for reading, writing and arithmetic. Charlotte Mason says it perfectly:
"Our aim in education is to give a full life. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking - the strain would be too great - but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest." ~ Charlotte 

If our story does anything, I hope that all of you who are in the trenches with babies, and toddlers, and emergent readers are encouraged. If you are thinking that homeschooling doesn't feel like enough for your child, remember that you are not growing a good test taker. You are growing up a child to become a successful adult. Whatever that may look like.

We still have a long way to go and I don't know what the future of schooling may look like for him, but I had to write this moment down so that I could look back and remember that something important happened. More important than an A or 100%...life happened for my child. The boy who threw and broke pencils and was afraid to read his cards aloud at his own birthday party had the confidence to go into the world and find his passion.