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.