Hi...everyone!! Haven't been on in a while!! I'm schooling both my grandson and granddaughter this year. GS has been homeschooling for 4 years now and is the 6th grade. GD is in the 4th and this is her first year.... HAVING SOME PROBLEMS... He very much needs one on one and some extra help....PLUS QUIET.... She is very "vocal" and wants to do things her way..... We are having some difficulties!! Any suggestions? I'm finding it very hard to deal with two kids at once . Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!!
Joyce... Each time you add the next kid in the mix, things are wild and crazy :lol: until you get adjusted. I remember when I added my second child in thinking *theres no way*... :lol: now we are going strong on number 3...Its just a matter of redoing your schedule. The general rule of thumb is the *youngest goes first*. This doesn't mean that you can't get the oldest started...but it should not take too long so that you don't lose interest/or attention span of the youngest. Math is perfect for working first. It usually takes 45 minutes to hr, can usually be done alone after explanations. So my first two sons start on math. I make sure each one understands what they are suppose to be doing, then I give my third one attention first since he is the youngest. I gather each one needs 1:1... I hope I understand this right.....your GS that has been hsing the longest needs help? and your GD is okay and but doesn't want to? Is that right?
Hi Joyce! Good to see you! I just got back here not long ago also! I remember adding the extra ones on, there was always an adjustment period! Do you have some kind of "set" schedule? Sometimes that helps, so they know what to expect. It just takes readjustment times, but if you explain a little more (as Tina was asking) then we can help you more specifically. Didn't we do your Flat Stanley last year? How did that turn out?
Deena, Hi... yes you did host our Flat Stanley last year. That project was so much fun. Everyone did a great job and we thoroughly enjoyed it. THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT HELPED US ON THAT!! The homeschooling is getting better with the two of them. I guess it just takes time and patience. My GD was in PS from K thru 3rd grade...so she was used to "their" way of doing things.... it is a time of readjustment for her right now. It is getting better though. And, yes, we are very scheduled. That works well for us and WE NEED STRUCTURE to make this work. Thanks for your advice. Joyce
I've been told that the first year of bringing a child from public school is spent mostly "de-programming" them. That's probably what you're going through right now. I've heard that the next year usually goes easier. (My kids have never attended PS, so I don't know this from experience!)
Joyce !!! Glad to see you here. What Jackie said about deprogramming is true. The PS mentality makes the kids almost unaware that they can do things themselves. Being an independent learner is not encouraged because they have to fit on the beaten path with 30 other kids. The teacher can't handle kids doing their own thing, hence the "corralled" method. Works for PS I guess, but kids aren't CATTLE lol !!! Depending on how self-guided your GS is, you may be able to foster more of that in him while you help her deprogram or unschool. In the gentle grandmotherly way I'm sure you have, you can give her stuff to do on her own with SOME guidance, but include things that she has to think about on her own ... necessitating her OWN quiet time for thinking, etc. If there is a need for a hum in the background, try soft instrumentals like classical, or even the KM's are great. They have to lose that dependence on teacher that makes them think they need constant stimulus to move on ... then they gain the confidence that they really CAN do this, and more, on their own without being told/guided. My girlfriend (also a sister in our cong.) is seriously considering hs'ing for next year. Her dd was exhibiting the kind of behaviour where she would NOT attempt her homework unless her mom read through it and told her what to do. I mean she had been taught that stuff in school that day, but seemed to need instruction to do the homework. When the mother told me about that, I explained to her the whole "dependence-on-teacher-for-guidance" thing as opposed to self guided learning, and she tried something new with DD. She sent her off to her room to read it again and try it on her own, assuring her she CAN do it. She was consistent in this approach and after a few times, she was coming out with worksheets done in 20 mins or less, all on her own. Her confidence is building and she's doing much better. This is getting long, but I hope you find your way smoothly through deschooling. Like Jackie, I've not had my kids in PS ever, so my experience is not first hand. As you know, though, there are plenty of the friends in the congregation who have kids that ask me about stuff or tell me about problems so I've heard about this one before. Keep us posted, please !!! WCL, Kathe PS Please email me Joyce ... I lost touch with you after our former message board went down, and then I had a h/d reformat and lost many email addresses. Seems like it has been nearly a year!!! kathe @ fundy.net (take out the spaces).
