As usual, today was a busy day. I managed to find a bit of time to continue the process of re-establishing all the programs on my computer. I was able to successfully load back on my Microsoft Office components, restart my Outlook program for email, and load on our office software to be able to again work from home. Next, I will start transferring files and pictures...I'm excited about once again being able to view and share pictures!
This day was also full with the responsibilities of teaching my kiddos, a VBS meeting, and a "coffee chat" with some fellow homeschoolers. During this chat, I was convicted of something that has been bothering me as of late. My oldest child, age 11, seems to be at the age when anything and everything can innocently become a volatile situation. What may start out as a basic request or question can, amazingly, all of a sudden become a source of contention and frustration. JD seems to be, at time, fighting and struggling with all types of emotions and I truly thing he just doesn't quite know what to do with all he is feeling. There are great days when everything just runs so smoothly, and then we have days where we start out on the wrong foot and it all goes downhill from there.
Today, I thought it would be fun for JD to share the adventure of math with his brother JT. Through an activity called "Marshmallow math", both of them were to work together to solve a number of area and volume problems based on different geometric shapes and a marshmallow ruler. I thought this would be quite fun for them both, and certainly an opportunity to work together and share the camradarie.
Of course, I was wrong. Problem one was that I waited untl about 4pm in the afternoon to do this activity. Nothing good school-wise happens after 3:30pm in this house, at least for the oldest. His brain is done, turned off, and onto other much more *important* things by that time. When he saw that the activity was four pages long, he hit the ceiling and went into full fledged melt down. Bottom line, the work ethic was not to my standard, and I needed to remove him from the situation to calm down and regroup. JT was instructed to complete the activity independently and JD would return to work on it when he was in a better mindset and had his emotions under control. Needless to say, the outburst just came out of nowhere which I think is typical of this age group.
Through all this, I have realized that I am doing him no favors by assisting him with certain school activities when he is perfectly capable of doing it on his own. While he may try and fail, he at least is in a safe situation, and we can use it as a learning activity for working harder and more thoroughly in the future. I have done this particularly with history, where I have been reading the text to him to make sure he is spending enough time and effort on the content rather than allowing him to do it independently, as he was not grasping the information he needed to. He is a smart kiddo, but fails to take the time to prepare and "inwardly digest" the material due to his tendency to just "get it done". He may just have to learn that he will end up redoing a unit and lose that much time if he fails to do the work to the standards that have been set. He is at that age where he claims to just be making silly mistakes, or "I didn't read that" or "I didn't understand.." It's time, I believe, to call a spade a spade, and work on these study skills that will only help him in the long run. The challenge will now be to balance his difficulties in writing and spelling with his lack of concern for being thorough and complete. Now is as good of time as ever to establish the boundaries, expectations, and consequences, so we can finish the school year strong. It's going to be a tough road, but I am sure it will be worth it.
Anyway, I am excited to have just one day of school left this week, and then a wonderful Easter weekend ahead of us. I am hoping to now go check out some of the blogs that I have been unable to stop by as this whole transition has been taking place. By the way, my aunt's procedure all turned out well, in fact, there were no heart issues after all the tests and procedures were completed. A false positive echo, a negative angiogram, and a number of symptoms culminated into a variety of preconceived notions in regards to a diagnosis that ended up being unfounded. She is heart healthy and now will pursue different options in order to determine the cause of her issues. But, we are thankful it appears there is nothing life threatening.
Off to organize the Resurrection eggs for tomorrow's activities...if you want some great ideas and the details of these eggs, head over to my friend Chris's blog to get the details!
Until next time...
This day was also full with the responsibilities of teaching my kiddos, a VBS meeting, and a "coffee chat" with some fellow homeschoolers. During this chat, I was convicted of something that has been bothering me as of late. My oldest child, age 11, seems to be at the age when anything and everything can innocently become a volatile situation. What may start out as a basic request or question can, amazingly, all of a sudden become a source of contention and frustration. JD seems to be, at time, fighting and struggling with all types of emotions and I truly thing he just doesn't quite know what to do with all he is feeling. There are great days when everything just runs so smoothly, and then we have days where we start out on the wrong foot and it all goes downhill from there.
Today, I thought it would be fun for JD to share the adventure of math with his brother JT. Through an activity called "Marshmallow math", both of them were to work together to solve a number of area and volume problems based on different geometric shapes and a marshmallow ruler. I thought this would be quite fun for them both, and certainly an opportunity to work together and share the camradarie.
Of course, I was wrong. Problem one was that I waited untl about 4pm in the afternoon to do this activity. Nothing good school-wise happens after 3:30pm in this house, at least for the oldest. His brain is done, turned off, and onto other much more *important* things by that time. When he saw that the activity was four pages long, he hit the ceiling and went into full fledged melt down. Bottom line, the work ethic was not to my standard, and I needed to remove him from the situation to calm down and regroup. JT was instructed to complete the activity independently and JD would return to work on it when he was in a better mindset and had his emotions under control. Needless to say, the outburst just came out of nowhere which I think is typical of this age group.
Through all this, I have realized that I am doing him no favors by assisting him with certain school activities when he is perfectly capable of doing it on his own. While he may try and fail, he at least is in a safe situation, and we can use it as a learning activity for working harder and more thoroughly in the future. I have done this particularly with history, where I have been reading the text to him to make sure he is spending enough time and effort on the content rather than allowing him to do it independently, as he was not grasping the information he needed to. He is a smart kiddo, but fails to take the time to prepare and "inwardly digest" the material due to his tendency to just "get it done". He may just have to learn that he will end up redoing a unit and lose that much time if he fails to do the work to the standards that have been set. He is at that age where he claims to just be making silly mistakes, or "I didn't read that" or "I didn't understand.." It's time, I believe, to call a spade a spade, and work on these study skills that will only help him in the long run. The challenge will now be to balance his difficulties in writing and spelling with his lack of concern for being thorough and complete. Now is as good of time as ever to establish the boundaries, expectations, and consequences, so we can finish the school year strong. It's going to be a tough road, but I am sure it will be worth it.
Anyway, I am excited to have just one day of school left this week, and then a wonderful Easter weekend ahead of us. I am hoping to now go check out some of the blogs that I have been unable to stop by as this whole transition has been taking place. By the way, my aunt's procedure all turned out well, in fact, there were no heart issues after all the tests and procedures were completed. A false positive echo, a negative angiogram, and a number of symptoms culminated into a variety of preconceived notions in regards to a diagnosis that ended up being unfounded. She is heart healthy and now will pursue different options in order to determine the cause of her issues. But, we are thankful it appears there is nothing life threatening.
Off to organize the Resurrection eggs for tomorrow's activities...if you want some great ideas and the details of these eggs, head over to my friend Chris's blog to get the details!
Until next time...
My girls all experience that explosion of feelings and emotions like that too. It is so hard to understand when you are an adult because it has been awhile. But having patients pays off, which of course I never can get enough of before I am tapped out. Thank goodness a quick prayer for guidance is always available.
Best wishes on your journey with your growing children. Happy Easter!
blessings, angie
Your son will thank you some day that you are holding him accountable for his attitude, and for the quality of his work. Both are so important! Way to go, Sarah! Our children need our guidance.
Hi, Sarah,
I have an award for you over at my blog: http://joyce.taron.net/the-sisterhood-award/