Well, it should be summer vacation. Unfortunately, I was a little less than productive during the school year. We have much to do. It is time for some serious schooling before we go to England. I think I will give a description of the attitudes I have to deal with everyday.
Ammon: Ammon loves to learn. He wants to do more and more school everyday. He is a good reader and gets his math and enjoys science most of all. However, Ammon needs me. I have to sit next to him and prompt him. "Do the next one, Ammon." "Remember we're doing math right now." "You wrote one spelling word. Write another one." etc. He is fun to teach because he loves to learn. But he is draining because he needs me so much.
Sarah: Sarah is self-motivated. She comes up to the table and tackles whatever is in front of her. I explain what to do and she gets it done. She is easy to teach. She is having difficulty learning to read, but we are working hard on that. The difficult thing about Sarah is her surprise mood changes. She'll suddenly announce she is done with school. And when she is done, she is done. It takes a lot of effort and energy to pull her back in. If she doesn't want to be here, she will yell and pout. Luckily, she doesn't get in that mood very often.
Nathan: Nathan has recently become interested in school. He is in preschool and I have no official curriculum for him. I just have some little workbooks. He refuses instruction. He just does what he wants to do. He is beyond self-motivated. Today he was working on number pages. He was to practice writing numbers and then circle groups of that number. He was counting so loudly and he was so oblivious to the other kids trying to study, it was hilarious. Sarah finally got dramatically frustrated and refused to do her own math because Nathan was so loud. I asked him to count in his brain. He hit his head with his pencil and began counting silently, but still dramatically and hilariously. He did it those pages all right and was so proud of himself. I can see that my main challenge with him will be to get him to do things the way he's instructed instead of just doing it his own way. If any of you know my husband very well, you will see yet another way Nathan is mini-Chris.
Elisabeth: Bethie is 2. She will participate in saying the pledge, checking the weather, reading stories, and reciting verses of scripture. She likes to sit up at the table to draw while the kids are working. She is not demanding of my time and lets me take care of the other children's needs.
I love all these crazy kids and their different ways of making my school day enjoyable. I love teaching them at home because it helps me to get to know them so well. There are times when I wish they would go away to school so that I could get some housework done and not be held responsible for their lack of education. But today is not one of those days. Even though we are behind in finishing our school year, they are learning and progressing.
4 comments:
I can relate! Andrew was one where he wanted me by him to do his school. He could do it fine, but he wanted me to be near. Joshua was pretty self motivated but would lose interest if it wasn't engaging enough. Jacob likes my help a but but usually wants to do it on his own. Good luck finishing up your school year.
Don't worry about Sarah and reading too much. Kids learn to read when they are ready, and not before. I remember Jacob took to reading somewhat later than we thought was usual, but when he did, it was like he'd been reading for years.
it's uncanny, but this could have been written about my children in birth order just like this. i knew i liked you.
xoxo
What a joy.
Post a Comment