I am still alive.
Barely.
Hanging on by a couple of threads. Hoping to keep the family on the right track. Feeling that I'm doing the right thing, but wishing I had just a touch of precognition. Just to next spring. Just to make me remember that the daily struggles aren't what matters right now.
What matters is the slow process we've begun in changing the way we look at education.
What matters is that Evan may have fought me on his spelling books today, but he read a Berenstain Bears' book. By himself. Which I had no idea he could do, until he chose it himself for free reading time.
What matters is that Evan tried to teach Corinne to read a book today and they played almost as much as they fought, which is a step in the right direction...
I guess I feel a little vindicated in this one fact; I KNOW my children. And I know them well. I knew exactly what issues Justin would have before we homeschooled him. I knew how he and I would react to each other. And I was RIGHT.
Unfortunately, I also knew exactly how Evan would react to homeschooling. I knew how he and I would react to each other. And, sadly, I was RIGHT. We're like two bull terriers, snarling over a ripped up sock...
Baby steps. Baby steps to finishing work sheets without whining. Baby steps to gaining more respect from him. Baby steps to experimenting with new responsibilities and chores. Baby steps to him actually liking school, no matter what format it is presented in...
Oh yeah.... I forgot I had a homeschool blog!
11 years ago
I'm just coming out of my sick haze, but I think baby steps are the right thing to do----remember that most kids needs a period of 'deschooling' to just get used to the new flow of their day and then get eased into it (you may have done this already and, if so, I apologize). Also, take advantage of the fact that he's young and there are a zillion ways to skin a cat (so to speak)---my 6yo hates to write, for instance, so I have her trace my words, write her name on thank you cards, etc instead of a formal writing program which would crash and burn for us. And, I've had a bunch of older-kid homeschooling moms slap me upside the head and tell me not to worry about a thing until they are much older----just reading to them, doing fun experiments, letting them explore things that fascinate them, is enough. They'd better be right! ; )
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fairly Odd Mother. It will take time to really find your feet. I was so anxious not to lose any time and "fall behind"(as almost everybody around me was fairly anti)that we never had a real deschooling period. It took us months to find our feet and we still have periods of frustration. So you are right to look at the big picture. If it helps, it seems to me that you are doing great :-)
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