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What is So Happy to Learn?

So Happy to Learn (SoHTL) with Mrs. Brown is an amazing learning program for all ages. It incorporates all of the components to help learners write expressively, read proficiently, comprehend what they are reading, learn basic math skills they can expand upon as they progress, create artwork to express themselves, have fun coloring, drawing and painting. It also encourages communication and conversation skills with the many activities and games like word cards, question cards, conversation cards.

Each learner is unique and capable and the SoHTL program meets learners where they are and supports them as they progress. There are three levels of Happy Sheets for learners to advance at their own pace. The online program is designed for parents to learn the skills necessary to teach, encourage and celebrate their learner as they progress. Mrs. Brown encourages parent teachers to model for their learner and teach not test.

Mrs. Brown teaches, coaches, guides, supports and encourages parents to be the best teacher for their learner. She also helps parents find joy in teaching and learning. When parents enjoy teaching it encourages their learners to have fun learning. Mrs. Brown and the SoHTL program recognize that learning is a life long journey and it’s important to develop a love of learning so it doesn’t feel like a job or chore but something you look forward to.

OUR SO HAPPY TO LEARN JOURNEY:

Our So Happy To Learn (SoHTL) journey began about a year ago and has changed our lives! We are finding more joy in teaching and learning. We are also seeing our son make such great progress in reading, writing, math and art. He’s also expressing himself more through his writing, art and conversations. He was working independently before but now he truly enjoys reading and doing his Happy Sheets.

We found SoHTL and Mrs. Brown at just the right time. We homeschool our 13 year old son and it was challenging to find a curriculum that worked for him. Modifying curriculum and worksheets were becoming so time consuming. A post from a SoHTL parent looking to connect with other families in our area doing the program prompted us to look into SoHTL. We wanted to find a program that included reading, creative writing, math, artistic expression, communication and conversation skills and we found it all in SoHTL. 

This program meets our son right where he is and supports him as he learns. The Happy Sheets cover all of the areas he is working on like reading, comprehension, writing, math, following instructions and creative expression. We customize the back of Happy Sheets to his interests or specific skills he is working on. We also use the books as workbooks.

In the beginning I dove into the online program and consumed as much of the teaching materials as I could. I listened to Mrs. Brown’s conference calls multiple times and came away with a better understanding each component of the program like reading, writing and math. I watched the videos Mrs. Brown posted on her website and studied the way she taught her students. It took me some time to learn to teach, not test and how beneficial modeling is.

Once I joined the Teaching Group my learning as a teacher grew exponentially. There is so much great content to learn from like Mrs. Brown’s videos teaching her learners, parent/teacher posts and comments/discussions on different topics. It is so valuable to be able to ask Mrs. Brown a question about teaching or how to help your learner and get her instant feedback and guidance. I am learning so much from the other parents too.

When we started SoHTL we slowly eased into the program beginning with some happy sheets which I modeled for my son and then started adding in all of the different components and activities. Now he is doing his Happy Sheet packets independently and we do more advanced sheets together. We mix in all of the other SoHTL activities too. I’m also printing out the Level 2 monthly packet that I model for him then I turn the back of the Happy Sheets into my own art journal where I draw, color and write words or phrases that inspire me.

I get so excited to look at my son’s Happy Sheet packets each day. It’s like opening a present. I can’t wait to see his progress in expressive writing and creativity in his writing and artwork. I love how he makes the sentences his own for example the Happy Sheet had “I like to read” and he wrote “I love to read with Mom”. I’m so thankful for Mrs. Brown and So Happy to Learn. She has taught me to see all the progress my son is making and focus on praising all efforts. I am learning the writing process and celebrating when my son writes all over an entire page knowing that he is expressing himself and that consistent complete sentences and neat writing will come in time. I also remind myself that he is learning at his own pace and in his own time and that’s more than okay. I’m blessed to be having fun teaching and learning with my son.

Our son loves Mrs. Brown and has developed a connection with her through her teaching videos. While watching her videos he responds to her questions and comments as if she is speaking directly to him. He writes her letters and tells her how cool she is, how fun it is to see her on video and how she is an artist with her happy sheets. She is such a gifted and talented teacher.  It feels like we are coming full circle. When our son was little he surprised us and learned to read and write his name from a personalized book his grandparents gave him. Each page had a letter of his name with a picture of an animal that started with the same letter then at the end the letters spelled his name. One day out of the blue he wrote his name and we were so impressed. Also, when he was little he wrote scribble letters to us all the time. Looking back now I see this was all part of the reading and writing process and the So Happy to Learn way. We can’t wait to see where our SoHTL journey takes us on our lifelong learning adventure!