This is more a vent then anything. I guess having the Christmas break followed by almost a week where we couldn't access our school has gotten to everyone. DS (age 10) is really resistant today. It actually started yesterday when we got into past/present participles... Not an easy subject, anyway. His attitude is really bad. And his writing since bringing him home has gotten horrible. He had to write some sentences (actually just copy the sentence and switch the verb to present participle). He got the verbs correct, but the rest of the sentence was trash, no punctuation, no capital to start the sentence, writing nearly illegable, most of the words were misspelled.... Grr... I just wanted to throttle him. Instead I had him rewrite it. He ended up rewriting 4 times, before it was close to being acceptable. At that point, I quit pushing. GAH!! You know, yes, it is supposed to be fun and less stressful at home. But I can't just accept anything he throws out either. I feel like I might have pushed too hard today. But it really was crap, he was putting out. Hopefully next week will be better. We won't be doing much in the way of lessons tomorrow. We have to finish their science fair projects. Yes, so yet another break. But I think this one is needed.
Aurie, I think he was testing you, and I feel that you passed the test! If you had let him get away with turning in that first one or two attempts at his assignment, I think you'd have a harder time later! It IS hard getting back to work after a break! My dd9 has NEVER caused problems or fussed with school---until yesterday! I was so surprised! She growled about almost everything, and I felt I was pretty hard on her too. But she needed to do the work and she needed to do it right! There just are those days where it's so hard to get through! I think working on the science projects together is a good thing, then settling back into other schoolwork will work out. But take heart---you are doing the right thing with your children! And they know you love and care about them! I'll pray for your family to get going again in a positive way!
I have this same problem. Whenever we come back after a long break it is difficult to get the kids motivated. Hopefully in a couple of days you will all be back on track and it will be less stressful for you.
Could be a battle of the wills. I do not get much of that yet, but expect alot with student number 2 when we start a coulple of years from now. When I get that kind of resistance, I step back and remediate the objectives that underpin the one(s) causing trouble. Sometimes students will get stuff right regarding a specific learning objective, but not as a result of the correct understanding. This will show up later as new objectives build on and require the information that was not entirely, or correctly integrated in to the bigger picture.
might just need a couple of days of break or I found out they like you to sit side by side with you and just talk it out. Sounds like you are doing wonderful.
This is why I don't take those weeks around Christmas. Most weeks it's hard enough to get rockin' on Tuesdays, which is our first full day of the week. We do specials on Mondays.
Sorry to hear you're having a time of it, I am the same way and will not allow them to just *get by* with their work. I think they try harder to get away with it because we are "just mom". Hang in there, you aren't alone. I have had the *pleasure* this week of telling the kids that they'll have to do school on weekends sometimes because their dad has such a crazy work schedule now that we have to readjust. Their response hasn't been pleasant and their work has went way downhill all week. I didn't have a choice though, he is out for days at a time on business and gone some weekends, home during some weekdays and it completely throws off our schedule. I can't justify them being off two weekdays and the weekends when that happens. There is no point in attempting school when he is here, it is too distracting having him home (a good distraction of course!) so I have no choice but to adjust our schedule now to fit his days off, which means weekend schooling some weeks. Talk about being the wicked witch of the north! Too bad for them that I am the most stubborn one in our household though! Michelle
Mine doesn't want to do school work today, because I am off today. I told him I have lighten his load and it friday (model day). He has a spelling test and bible studies that he has to get done. We had a test in math yesterday so being friday I not planning on starting anything new. So now just to get it in his mind that the load with be light today has been the fun thing. So I think today would count as one of those days!!
We finished up their science experiments today and set up their displays for the fair tonight. It was a rough day... GAH! But we got through it. They whined, but didn't throw any major tissy fits. So, I am taking that as progress.
