Winter Term 2010
Winter Term 2010. i.e. Bleak Term. i.e. Late Third Trimester Term.
As you can see, I’m really psyching myself up for this stretch. Instead of an enthusiastic, idealistic, coffee-high ra-ra preparation time, I’m going with the hard-line realist approach: It’s going to be difficult, you won’t want to do any of this, you need to do it anyway, so get over it and just do it. I hope that at least getting back to the school routine will make the mornings go faster, thereby making the day pass faster, and thereby getting me to the days of newborn baby sooner (and, shh, we’re still ignoring what must happen in order for the baby to be delivered). That’s all the optimism I can muster at this point.
I’ve got my household-managing lists on my purple clipboard. I’ve got my 2010 monthly calendars on my red clipboard. I’ve got the plans for a 5 week term on my orangy-yellow clipboard. The papers and coloring sheets are in their files, the playlists are made, several children’s audio books are downloaded, but I still have a stack of books on hold for me at the library.
So, at least I look like I’m ready to go. That helps. Or, at least, it removes one excuse. Just do the next thing, even if you have to do it at a slow waddle. One benefit I remembered the other day to having a toddler and keeping him (now her) close during the third-trimester is that he (now she) loves picking things up for Mommy. It’s probably been a major key to our obedience and work habit-training: Mom is motivated by discomfort and laziness to have the child pick up his entire mess himself or to ask the child to pick up something she dropped, the child perceives he is doing Mom a favor and feels important, and he’s obeying and working. Maybe fatigue has fringe benefits after all.
Now, finally, I am getting around to posting some new tactics I’ve employed the last two terms. The general plan and content, or even routine, hasn’t changed, but I have a new ally: iTunes on the kitchen computer 5 feet from the school table.
Singing: I can’t stay on key. If I can find a suitable accompaniment track for our hymn, we can sing to accompaniment and I’m not training my children to sing off key.
Memory: There is always some resistance on either boys’ part to our memory time, for a variety of reasons. I have called a halt to new material, and we’re still learning what was on last year’s and the first half of this year’s list. I find the more interaction I remove from the process, the better attitudes are all around. Additionally, the most effective memory tactic I’ve found so far was when the boys simply listened to their memory work during quiet time (which hasn’t happened in quite awhile due to various technical difficulties); I wasn’t even reviewing it with them more than once or twice a week at that point. So, I have concluded they memorize best in low-pressure situations, and for some reason, repeating after me or reciting together is high-pressure. The last two terms, then, I’ve put our memory work on a playlist and during memory time we listen together, saying it with the recording as we are able. The children (Ilse has been at the table, too) color (the boys have geometric coloring page
Bible: Mondays we read the week’s Bible story straight from the Bible, and now we all listen to the ESV audio Bible. The boys color the corresponding coloring sheet while they listen, which they did when I was reading it, but now I, too, get to have busy hands while listening.
Also, since my crochet bag has been near at hand, I’ve discovered that if I have a simple, repetitious project to work on during lessons — while Hans is writing spelling words, for instance — I am calmer and more patient. And I want to be near-at-hand while Hans works on copywork or math or drawing, and I want to keep an eye on his work and also not get my attention caught up in something else while I wait, but Hans doesn’t want to be stared at while he works (understandably), and I get impatient watching him think through a thing that I think he should know by now or simply when I know the answer. I know I’m in the wrong, and I keep my mouth closed, but wears on my nerves nonetheless. However, if I have something else to focus on while I sit there, but something that’s not terribly interesting so I can readily drop it when needed, we all get along better and I am more cheerful about the whole process. After all, if we do all the listening and lessons planned, I can get a hat knocked out in two days working on it at school time only, and I actually make noticeable progress each day on larger projects like a sweater. So, I get another incentive to actually do what I have planned out. Sure, ideally I would change and learn to love teaching elementary, and I hope eventually that might happen, but for now, this is my coping strategy and my baby step toward enjoying this time.
New this term will be a more conscious effort to do phonics with Jaeger and I’m trying cursive copywork sheets for Hans. I have not been pushing phonics with Jaeger because he doesn’t seem to be retaining it at all, and he’s only 4, and having been a late reader myself, I am fully comfortable and convinced not to push reading. However, he wants to read, and has even burst out crying because he couldn’t read the Christmas song sheets one evening when we were singing to Matt’s accompaniment. Unfortunately, I still don’t think he’s ready to read, and I don’t even think he wants to work at it. He seems to think he could read if only I would teach him how — as if it were a thing I could give him instantly, but I’m withholding it from him. We’ll see, though. He might surprise me.
I am switching copywork sheets (which he traces) to cursive for Hans, because although he can form his letters correctly for school, he doesn’t do them correctly when he’s writing on his own, which is frequent. So he’s reinforcing his bad habits more frequently than reviewing the correct way. He does want to learn cursive; he even adds flourishes on his letters. The benefit to cursive is supposed to be that you must form letters in the right direction, so we’ll give it a go. I think working at cursive, because he wants to be able to, might make him more aware and deliberate in his writing. Jaeger will graduate to using the letter practice sheets Hans was using, because he is ready to move on from tracing his name. He is actually pretty good at writing letters, and maybe if I start working with him this early (because he likes writing letters), he won’t get set in bad habits. One can always hope, anyway.
I also now print out a separate schedule with only the boys’ day listed and give Hans the “school routine” list. For some reason, if it comes off the printer and he reviews it, then it’s The Way Things Are rather than “what Mom is making me do.” Even though it’s all exactly the same stuff, he feels ownership and responsibility if he’s got his own copy of the plan and he thinks I’m not just making stuff up (of course, I did just make it up, but it also forces more commitment out of me to not make up something different if I don’t feel like following my own plan). :) So, we’re getting better about keeping our schedules, because Hans is on board and reminds me of things like snack time with an audio book and I remind him of 5pm pick-up time and both of us feel obligated to make it happen.
So, here’s to making it happen despite moving at a snail’s pace, not sleeping well, aching, and dreading the ordeal to come.
I think I’ve said this before, but your posts about your school terms help me so much more than you could probably ever know! I am a couple years behind you, but in the same boat (except the pregnancy part — you have my complete and utter sympathy there). I love the completely practical, this-is-what-we-are-doing stuff because it gives me some ideas about how to form up a school year for my boys!
This is probably a weird question, but since we both have NW connections, and I was peeking at a blog from your sidebar — do you happen to know Rachel Shubin?
Thanks, Jodi! I know I have benefited lots from other people’s posts like this, so I am glad I can now start adding to the collective knowledge pool. :)
I know of Rachel Shubin, but I don’t actually know her. :) She goes to the same church as my good friend Elly (blog: Home Despot).
That must’ve been it. I think I was reading Elly’s blog awhile back about their dutch blitz weekend (maybe?) and thinking, hmmm, Rachel always talks about her annual dutch blitz weekend. This should tell you something about how much unproductive time I spend on the Internet. :/
Anyway, Rachel Shubin is the sister of my husband’s best friend. So we have, what, three degrees of separation? Not too bad considering I randomly found your blog somehow through another hs’ing blog!
Jodi, how funny. That would definitely be the same Rachel. :) But I see on your blog that Samantha is not only linked by you, but has commented on your blog, and she’s a friend and will be a neighbor in a couple weeks! :) It’s funny the “social circles” blogs create. Most of my blog reading fits into my “Dominion Family” social circle.
This was a funny exchange! Jodi, I think I’ve heard of you.. it took me a minute to figure out that Rachel Shubin’s brother must be… Jonathan! :-) Didn’t you used to live in the Seattle area? :-)
Elly: yup, we moved from Whidbey Island (couple hours north of Seattle) last summer. Jonathan and Steve have been friends since the womb.
Okay, I think I have my blog train figured out here:
I started reading my friend from high school, Kristen’s blog. She has Samantha linked and I started reading Samantha’s blog because my kiddos were due within days of her youngest two and I found we agreed on a lot in a practical-Christian-living sort of way. So Samantha has you linked, Mystie, and you have Elly linked.
Around the time I found your blog, Mystie was when I discovered the blog world in regards to Dominion Family, Amy’s Humble Musings, Preschoolers and Peace, and The Common Room. So I was going kind of nuts looking at links for awhile because I kept finding these gems and this whole network that I didn’t know existed. I don’t wander around looking for good blogs as much any more, but it is so funny that I would end up here and find that you actually know someone who knows someone who knows me. We will probably be back in Washington someday, so maybe we will get a chance to meet in person!
Okay, not to interrupt your Northwesterner gathering here, but, ahem, I just had to tell you I loved this post. I really enjoy it when mothers think aloud the way you did. I like to “hear” the train of thought rather than just reading the final result.
Oh.
And I love stealing your ideas. ;)
I am going to have to check out those geometric coloring books. I would see E. enjoying that. Perhaps it’d be a fun birthday gift.
Brandy, the love of stealing is mutual. :) I like your poetry idea, and will probably steal it for next year, after you perfect it for another term or two. :)
The best thing about those coloring books is that I emailed the customer service to clarify their copyright use, and they confirmed it is ok to copy them for family use. So, I cut off the binding and make copies. :) And they are 4-for-3 on Amazon. :)
Jodi, to come back to our Northwesterner gathering: It’s funny to see how the connections come into place. I found Cindy linked once from Preschoolers and Peace, which I found because I went so far as to Google for blogs of moms who shared lesson planning and ideas and real life, and I had the hardest time finding any that were helpful for me until I found the Dominion Family circle. It’s too bad the Morning Time Moms yahoo group didn’t work out, because that was exactly what I had been looking for. However, comments sections work well, too. :)
You know, if I were more extroverted, I’d offer to start another Yahoo group, but I just can’t bring myself to do it…
You know, maybe next time I post plans I could put a Mr. Linky at the bottom and we could start our sharing that way. It’d be a simple addition to something I’m already doing.
I DO enjoy the Ambleside Yahoo group, though it isn’t an exact fit for me because I am not straight CM…but at least I am getting a good grasp of CM in action this way.
With the copying priviledges, I’m liking those coloring books even more!
Okay. I’ll leave now so you all can resume your connecting. Did I ever tell you I almost met Cindy in real life one time because Si’s mom lives in the town (Franklin, TN) where Cindy was attending Parish Pres at the time? We were visiting there for Christmas one year. Small world…
I am enjoying being a voyeur for this little reunion. ;)
Oh, Brandy! I’m jealous. :) I have no connections that would take me south or even to California…my connections are all in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. :)
So, you’ll just have to find a connection up here sometime. :) To maintain the connection business, Samantha’s family, mentioned above, moved here from California to escape. I was going to mention that to you once awhile ago when I saw a link of yours to some new California craziness. :) If you ever want to get out, look this way! :)
Well Steve’s family is in Boise, ID and Vancouver, WA, so it is not unlikely we would be up there for some reason. Although we are sort of boycotting flying anywhere with a baby and a toddler, and although I am not pregnant now, I don’t see us being without a baby and a toddler for awhile. I get about all the traveling I can take moving from coast to coast every couple of years.
I do have a wish for Steve to get a teaching/headmaster job somewhere up in that area of the country when he retires from the military. The boys will be just starting high school and oh it would be nice to have a tuition break on a good high school. :) Luckily Steve acctually wants to eventually be a headmaster, so it’s not a huge leap. I’m rambling now, but hopefully someday we will settle in the NW.
I have family in Boise, too. :) There you go, more connections.
Well, I think the NW is a great place to be, personally. :)
Well, the NW has several advantages: no tropical storms, low humidity, very few earthquakes, milder winters, cooler summers and generally less crowding. Personally, I don’t understand why any body lives anywhere else…. but that’s just me. :-)
Hmmm…Perhaps you have to be born and raised in CA to appreciate the weirdness. A lot of times it cuts both ways, which is why the liberal hippies in SoCal approve of homeschooling–they think it is a way of “sticking it to the man.” :) Gotta love it.
We have friends that recently moved to Hillsboro, OR, and we actually honeymooned in WA because family friends own a vacation home on Lopez Island. We have always wanted to go back there; it was lovely in May…
With that said…We have talked about moving before, but that was because the courts tried to outlaw homeschooling. It would be very hard to leave–we have four generations of extended family living here.
But it does sound lovely. ;)
It’s good to have a Place.