Liana had a better attitude the next day. Some of our work was beyond what she has learned, so we skipped it. Better to review what she knows than to teach something new right before the test. I realized too that the test prep book we are using covers the entire third grade, and we are only halfway through the year.
Arielle enjoys worksheets. She always has, so she is not complaining. I remember the early Explode the Code books that I thought were great. I would have to ask Arielle to please stop doing so many pages in one day and save some for later! Then I bought them for Liana. She would cry when I asked her to complete one page. The books were torture for her. Different kids, different learning styles. That is one of the main benefits of homeschooling. I can find books and methods to suit each child. I had to learn this the hard way though. Hard on Liana. I regret how I tried to conform her into a little twin of Arielle. Thank goodness Liana is a tough little character and fought back until I finally caught on that she is her own person.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Back to School
The girls had no school for two weeks. This is the longest mid-year break we have ever had. With Christmas and New Year's Day falling on Thursday, it just made more sense to do that.
Now we begin again and I might be regretting my decision. At 9:00 as we sit down to begin, Liana is in tears because she doesn't want to read aloud. Then, she isn't at all happy about our plans for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, our state requires standardized testing in grades 3 and 5, so both girls have to be prepared by the 23rd. That means most of our month is wasted on test prep. I say wasted because now I have to teach to the test rather than continuing our regular studies in the textbooks I have chosen for the girls. We have to pull topics out of context from what we have been working on all year.
Liana is stressed. We did a practice test last spring at home and both girls did quite well. But today Liana feels pressured and keeps saying, "I can't do this!" Her hair is bothering her. She takes it in and out of a ponytail, impatiently pushes back the little flyaway hairs around her face. She says, "My hair never feels right." I wet it down, slick it back, tie it back, anchor it with a barrette. I need to remember to do that on test day too. I don't push her too much. She has blocked her brain from learning today. We'll try, try again tomorrow.
Now we begin again and I might be regretting my decision. At 9:00 as we sit down to begin, Liana is in tears because she doesn't want to read aloud. Then, she isn't at all happy about our plans for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, our state requires standardized testing in grades 3 and 5, so both girls have to be prepared by the 23rd. That means most of our month is wasted on test prep. I say wasted because now I have to teach to the test rather than continuing our regular studies in the textbooks I have chosen for the girls. We have to pull topics out of context from what we have been working on all year.
Liana is stressed. We did a practice test last spring at home and both girls did quite well. But today Liana feels pressured and keeps saying, "I can't do this!" Her hair is bothering her. She takes it in and out of a ponytail, impatiently pushes back the little flyaway hairs around her face. She says, "My hair never feels right." I wet it down, slick it back, tie it back, anchor it with a barrette. I need to remember to do that on test day too. I don't push her too much. She has blocked her brain from learning today. We'll try, try again tomorrow.
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