I really need some help. We have been homeschooling for 3 years and my 8 yr old and 7 yr old goof off and talk during school. We have a school room and they face separate walls with 6 ft between them but it is constant giggling. School is taking forever, I'm getting super frustrated and tired of yelling/fussing at them. I've tried writing their lessons on the board and saying I have things to do, this is what you have to get done, I can't wait on you all day and leaving but it usually doesn't end well. My husband has suggested either moving them into separate rooms or schooling them at different times. This would make it more difficult on me and more time consuming. I've tried charts/rewards/consequences and they still goof off. Any suggestions??
I also have an 8 and 7 year old schooling, we do not have a room (would not use one if we did), I do things one of two ways, depending on if one is up way earlier than the other. If one gets up early on any given day, they eat breakfast and start their one on one work with me.. math and langauge arts. We will then do our group lessons when the other gets up.. history, science, art, music, etc. Then I work with the late riser on their one on one while the other has free time. If they both get up about the same time, I will usually pick the one on one assignments for my older and tell her how to do them and send her off to find a quiet place (she will often go to her room but also likes to hide behind the sofa to work). Then I work one on one with the the younger. We will come back together when they are done, I will check the older's work and then we will do our group work.
At that age, I think it's normal for a child not to stay on task if mom/teacher isn't in the room. My 9 year old just started working on things without me in the room this year. & he only does math and reading on his own. Each kid is different of course, my 6 year old works alone on math and reading as well. But my oldest certainly didn't at that age. They may just need you with them or they may need some separate school time or you might consider a different educational approach. (not sure what you are using) We don't do school-at-home. We do lots of read alouds from living books. My oldest uses MathUSee for math and watches the video and does what problems he can on his worksheets then comes to get me to help him with ones he can't do. They both do Reading Eggs for reading. Sometimes we do a 'switch out' I'll help my oldest while the youngest watches an episode of Beakman's World or something, then I'll help my youngest while the oldest watches the same show the youngest watched. (Netflix is a lifesaver for me homeschooling 2 boys)
My boys were (are) the same way. It finally took at attitude shift on my part. I HAVE to look at homeschooling as my full time job. I might take a break for a minute or two to switch laundry or something else, but during our school time, that's my job. My #1 focus has to be homeschooling. Even though they are doing mostly independent work, they need my attention. We school in the kitchen, so I can work on my own homework (the computer is in the living room), clean the kitchen, cook, clean the living room, etc. And I'm still right here. Our day goes much faster now that I've switched my thinking (only took me 6 years... I'm a slow learner). No, I can't clean my room during school time, but school is over in half the time, leaving me enough time to clean my room with much less stress and yelling.
Thank you ladies for responding and giving me some things to think about. Def think an attitude change on my part would do everyone good. I just don't know how or where to start. We usually wait till 930 to start school. I had considered that maybe this was too late and was giving them time to get in "play mode"? We usually get up at 8, eat, do chores and then by that time it is time to start. This year is almost over but I've got to figure something out for next year as our work load increases. Plus I have a two year old and pregnant with #4. If things don't get worked out I fear I may go mad.
I'm agreeing with the others. It's natural for them to behave this way at their ages. (Imagine a classroom of 25 of them!) You have to be the one to keep them on track, because that's the developmental level they're on, even if they are working independently on assignments. I'm also bad about getting so distracted by my own responsibilities that I let school slide. Like Amie said, when I focus myself first, school is finished in a fraction of the time, and we all get a lot more accomplished. I think separating them would be a disservice to them. They need to learn how to work with distractions and learn how to focus just as much as they need to learn math. It doesn't matter what they grow up to be, they'll be expected to focus on the task at hand and work with others. It's a life-skill that many anti-homeschoolers point out quickly when naming the cons of homeschooling.
My 10 and 11 year old do some subjects together [e.g. Bible and history] and some subjects apart. For the subjects apart, they are either in separate rooms or they're in the same room but have headphones on and are engaged with computers that are facing opposite directions. The subjects done together are the ones I actively lead. The ones done apart are those that they are either instructed via a computer program or are self-led via the textbook. I've found that system works the best at keeping them on target and limiting the playtime issues.
My boys are the same way, but I've been able to work things out so that we have minimal sillies. ;P As for the rest of the day.....don't ask.....lol :lol: Being a fan of Charlotte Mason, I believe that attention and focus are habits that need to be cultivated. I started out with just minutes at a time, or just one worksheet for my youngest while the older one was working. During that focused time I expect them both to pay attention to what they are doing. If they don't, then there is an expected consequence. I never expect them to sit for long periods of time at the table, but the short times they are there, they need to be doing what they are supposed to be doing. If I run off to another room or get busy doing something else, things usually get out of hand, but if I stay on top of it, they stay on task pretty well. They are definitely getting better--persistence on my part pays many times over in the long run. Like I've said before, when you give your kids an inch, they take a mile. Other things we use: 1. They have their own stations to use at the table. They are basically legal sized file folders attached together to make a "wall" they can set up around their work area. The files are covered with educational printables like books of the Bible, conversion charts, sign language charts, and stickers of their choice. These are great for when quiet work time is needed or it is a particularly silly day! 2. Short sessions. I'm not a big fan of long hours at the table, so we do a smaller amount of focused work and then move on to life. 3. Both boys have completely different learning styles, so I have to tailor their lessons. If I used the same math for my youngest that I use for my oldest, I'd have WWIII on my hands. 4. If they are working hard with a good attitude, they may be allowed to sit in the living room or in my bedroom. They may also be able to trade a math lesson for math practice online or something similar. If things are going particularly well, we may just all snuggle on my bed and read books together.
I wonder if I kept them in the same room but put a curtain up if that would help. Then I could close it and them know that it is work time and when it is opened they are free to talk.
Am I reading this right, that you want to be able to assign them work, you leave the room and come back to find the work completed? If that is what your goal is then it will probably never happen, curtain or no curtain. If you have things to tend to outside of the "school room" then you either need to do that at other times or take the kids to that area with you. If you need to be in the kitchen sit them at the kitchen table, if they need dividers there then those tri-fold project display boards cut in half horizontally to make two are great for that, you can glue in some "mini office" (google that) printables to make them more appealing if you like. Think back to the days even in highschool, when the teacher stepped out of the room and all *@#$ broke loose. You are talking about a 7 and 8 year old.. there is no way my 7 or 8 year old would even stay focused in a room alone... remember I said 8yo DD often goes to her room... well we are on a single floor her room not far from the dining room, I'm constantly popping into her room to keep her moving, and always find her fiddling with something or gazing off into la la land.
My boys are 12 and 14 and STILL goof off the moment I leave the room. I get so frustrated with them. So I end up doing things around the house, as long as I can see them and they can see me. We have an open floor plan, so I can work on 4 rooms or just play with the baby, while they are doing schoolwork.
yeah I'm kinda with Sommer on this one..... if I want something done - seriously - even with teens, I need to keep them focused all the time. The work gets done - but more gets done if they are in different rooms
No that wasn't my expectations nor my intentions for how I want school to go. I guess I should've clarified more. I did this out of frustration a couple weeks ago to keep from losing my mind.
not sure if you have made a choice yet but I would one in their bed room and the other in the regular place, Then give them a behavior chart as well and whoever gets done with he work first properly gets points, points add up to a prize. Benefits can be sitting the school room , or pizza or lunch, something simple but enjoyable. If they work separately the first done can do TV time watch a video or play a game?
My oldest absolutely HAS to be in a separate room with the door closed in order to do his work in any timely manner. HAS to. He's 7.5 but he's been like that for as long as I can remember. We don't have a school room and his desk is in his bedroom on the first floor right outside the dining room where I do school with the younger three.
We handle this by alternating lesson between the two kids. I will instruct one then turn them loose on the problems etc, then instuct the other. While one is doing math, the other is getting math instruction. While one is doing English, the other is reading history. While one is doing Rosetta stone, I will give the other one a lesson in another subject. There are still lags, and I have a very hard time staying in the school area. I have to force myself to stay there at times. I now take my laptop, or paperwork or book or magazine and get some moments in checking email, reading a page or two while they are over lapping in their work. They have some work they do with each other, Like give spelling tests, and math drills. They watch some video materials together as well.
I didn't want to take it the wrong way but I did anyway, sorry about that. I'm not sure what your solution will be, it sounds to me as if they need to work on their independent work at seperate times or in seperate locations.
I only worked with my children on-on-one. I would have one reading while I worked with another, and then swap. Or one would get free time while I worked with the other. For most of the time I homeschooled 3 children, so 2 would get an activity together while I worked with one alone. I also found that it was 5th grade before a child would work without me next to them, and then not for long. Now I'm just homeschooling a 7th grader and while she mainly works on her own, she doesn't do much if I'm not in the room. I just sit and do my own thing and answer the occasional question. But all it takes is a knock on the door or a phone call and she thinks it's break.
Back when my kids did their work at the same table, I had to be right there the whole time saying "focus, pay attention" about fifty million times. They would egg each other on and get silly or whatever if I left just to refill my coffee. I was so happy when dd started working independently in her room.
