Wow. What a great day yesterday we had. We didn't do any work but I got to spend time with grown up friends while the Banker visited then entertained. There was laughter emanating from my relatively destroyed game room for hours and hours. I chatted and visited. I commiserated and got some support from friends on some decisions. I made plans for next week. It was a grand day.
In school related news.
I am discontinuing Time4Learning today. It filled a gap, gave the Banker a curriculum to leap to from jumping the public school ship. I think it's too young for him now, it's time to move on. I am cancelling it today.
I am ending formal school this week. Math and English will continue through the summer, so will reading. He is going to have to read Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Uncle Tom's Cabin this summer. Luckily, FriendA has to read them too so they can moan together. I offered dinner and a "book club" review when they finish each book, that met with some support. I love a plan.
FriendE and I were brilliant yesterday. As we sat at the table talking about Texas education and Austin schools ... we suddenly realized Texas is 24th and has a "D" grade in education for the country, so we researched who had the best and came up with Massachusetts as the solid winner. We searched the MA education agency and schools and found fabulous links to the books, curriculum and plans for their 8th graders. Oh hello, yes, we'll be utilizing THAT information. The Austin 8th grade curriculum links are password protected. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What's so secret about what you're teaching our 8th graders?? MA's 8th grade curriculum, online books and resources provides passwords and user names. Wow, way to support the youth of America. I will absolutely be utilizing out of state resources, the local ones are sad, archaic and apparently so secret that parents aren't to be trusted viewing them, or WORSE, letting the children see!
I have a really good feeling about 8th grade. I have solid plans and solid plans to get more information from friends and online. I think it's going to be great.
I haven't broken the news to Banker that this is his final "formal" week of 7th grade just yet but I am telling the home school mothers around me so they have a head's up. I'm all about the village :)
This is our remaining work day this week, we played all day yesterday and are playing all day tomorrow. Husband is off work and I decided to embrace it. We are all going to a 12:30 movie then FriendK and her son are coming up for a visit. I will throw the boys upstairs and she and I will drink wine, look at chickens and relax and visit. I'm really really looking forward to it. Really.
I'm going to make bread today, make smoothies, and I am actually going to sew something! I want to make a "mug rug" and dammit, I am going to! We used to call them mini place mats but now they have a hip cool name. Bigger than a coaster and smaller than a place mat, I can put my coffee and a small plate or just a pile of chips on it. It'll soak the condensation ring from the cold drinks and just look pretty under my hot ones. Banker and his microscope can move to the other side of the room, I am taking my studio back! After I make a couple, I am going to invite FriendA to come and make some for her mom, her house and her life. She needs to sew more anyway.
Ok, there's a day, there's a plan and husband went to work and Banker is still asleep. I am going to enjoy the complete and total silence for just a few moments.
*seriously, how DOES he do that?* as I was about to press "Publish" the child appeared on the stairs. Ok, so no silence today but that's ok, we have work to do.
/Tracy
Showing posts with label dumbing down of america. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dumbing down of america. Show all posts
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Day Fifty
Ah, a snoring husband is a double edged sword. Sure I'm up at 5am but I get a couple of silent, me, hours so I'm not in a snit about it at all.
Banker is snoring with Walter stretched out across the middle of his bed. It's shocking how much room a Pug on a bed can actually use up.
School yesterday was another great success, nothing like 5 hours of math to fry your brain. Bankers brain and my brain. Although the day has felt as though it's moved slower, all math, all day, I think he's completed more work than for a week as well as I think it's sinking in deeper.
We sat and reviewed the lesson practice, systematic practice and honors work for 3 chapters in pre-Algebra when he'd completed it all. He also did 4 full chapters on his Time For Learning and scored 100 on all those quizzes. I think that's pretty fantastic for amount of work. He got 1 wrong on a couple of the worksheets, not bad at all. He went from 12/20 to 100% on one of the lessons he'd blown the other day, that's a rather impressive increase if you ask me. He says he 'gets it' now. Oh that's MOST excellent.
He worked until well past 2, the longest day yet, BUT he didn't start until after 9, took a walking around the neighborhood break, a lay on the hammock break, 2 food breaks and emptied the dishwasher for me while he waited for popcorn break. I don't weep too hard for his "crazy long day" just yet. He also sang and sang and sang. He's joyful and we giggle, freely, often.
I think the one subject thing worked fine for math. The next one day subject is social studies and Texas history, it'll be a breeze day for him. He will be tested on the math he did on Thursday, I don't want him to have too many days between math so it's the only subject that gets an additional 'hit' through the week.
We have had yet another day of singing, humming, skipping and dancing to get a new pen or to go on the hammock, happiness is worth all of this. I think he's learning too. Learning a lot.
He didn't finish everything on the schedule, namely the second part of his physics and the Sudoku puzzle that gives him such fits. He is moving them to today, social studies and Texas history day. It'll be an easy day for him, not too stressful and I think he'll finish much earlier today which is good because he's going to help me get ready (sweep/set table) for the Ladies who Lunch with Cocktails tomorrow.
Today for me? Oh it's bread day, I'm making soup and sandwiches for the lunch tomorrow, I have the gazpacho made and 4 sandwich fillings but there still needs to be bread and I'm making 3 kinds today.
He is very, VERY, happy and this is all very VERY good.
/Tracy
Banker is snoring with Walter stretched out across the middle of his bed. It's shocking how much room a Pug on a bed can actually use up.
School yesterday was another great success, nothing like 5 hours of math to fry your brain. Bankers brain and my brain. Although the day has felt as though it's moved slower, all math, all day, I think he's completed more work than for a week as well as I think it's sinking in deeper.
We sat and reviewed the lesson practice, systematic practice and honors work for 3 chapters in pre-Algebra when he'd completed it all. He also did 4 full chapters on his Time For Learning and scored 100 on all those quizzes. I think that's pretty fantastic for amount of work. He got 1 wrong on a couple of the worksheets, not bad at all. He went from 12/20 to 100% on one of the lessons he'd blown the other day, that's a rather impressive increase if you ask me. He says he 'gets it' now. Oh that's MOST excellent.
He worked until well past 2, the longest day yet, BUT he didn't start until after 9, took a walking around the neighborhood break, a lay on the hammock break, 2 food breaks and emptied the dishwasher for me while he waited for popcorn break. I don't weep too hard for his "crazy long day" just yet. He also sang and sang and sang. He's joyful and we giggle, freely, often.
I think the one subject thing worked fine for math. The next one day subject is social studies and Texas history, it'll be a breeze day for him. He will be tested on the math he did on Thursday, I don't want him to have too many days between math so it's the only subject that gets an additional 'hit' through the week.
We have had yet another day of singing, humming, skipping and dancing to get a new pen or to go on the hammock, happiness is worth all of this. I think he's learning too. Learning a lot.
He didn't finish everything on the schedule, namely the second part of his physics and the Sudoku puzzle that gives him such fits. He is moving them to today, social studies and Texas history day. It'll be an easy day for him, not too stressful and I think he'll finish much earlier today which is good because he's going to help me get ready (sweep/set table) for the Ladies who Lunch with Cocktails tomorrow.
Today for me? Oh it's bread day, I'm making soup and sandwiches for the lunch tomorrow, I have the gazpacho made and 4 sandwich fillings but there still needs to be bread and I'm making 3 kinds today.
He is very, VERY, happy and this is all very VERY good.
/Tracy
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Day Forty Six and Forty Seven (weekend)
No school this weekend, for the Banker, there is school for me!
Banker blew, completely blew the review pages on his new math. He blew it like, "are you sure you're actually the one who did this?" blew it. He knows how to do the work, easily, he explained it to be beautifully. It was the weirdest thing. This is easy work, maybe he got too cocky. I told him we are going to start again on Monday, completely from scratch. Even he was befuddled but not nearly so concerned as I think he should have been. The answer, "but I know how to do it" sort of fell flat with me. I think it was too easy, too fast (he did it at the game room coffee table while he was in a snit with me) and I am not NOT happy.
It sort of got me to thinking, his hurrying through to get to the next subject, that this is not the way I wanted this to go. This whole exercise is to allow him to pay attention to a subject, to think about it, study it and understand it completely, easily and comfortably without having to switch off and move on.
I thought long and hard about this one subject per day thing. The more I think about it, the more I like it. I am changing up his schedule, ya ya ya. One of the things I disliked about public school was the having to change gears 7 times a day and to never get INTO anything. That is exactly what *I* have done. I can't moan if I do the same thing.
Starting Monday, the new schedule will be one core and 2 "electives" per day with review on math and science on "day 5" which is our "extra" day. Yeah, that works, well, we'll see if it works. I like the idea he can actually get deeply into a subject and if I schedule it right, he won't be a full week between subjects, with reviews thrown in there... I just need to sit and think it through. Tomorrow I think for that.
I'm thinking about chickens, still/again. I started cleaning out my gazebo, measured around for chicken wire to reinforce the screening already there, looked online for a plan for a guy to turned a gazebo into a coop. I think other than a quick financial calculation, I have all my ducks in a row.. hahahahahahahahaha Sorry, I crack me up.
So, there's loads going on in my head and hopefully it'll transfer to paper and to fruition in the not too distant future.
/Tracy
ADDENDUM:
The chicken thing it dead. Husband buried, well half buried, sprinkler heads that now soak the gazebo. I thought the sprinklers would run close to the garden he half built last year but I was mistaken, again. I was cleaning and measuring and told him I'd found great plans to transform it and was going to use as a coop. So he installed soaking heads. It's going to rot the wood on the gazebo so even trying to cover it with plastic ? no. isn't going to work. Even me, the chicken uninitiated doesn't think you can house chickens in the line of sprinkers...passive aggression or my way or the highway. I don't know, I'm really very disappointed but forgot I'm voteless. Banker and I both had rough direction days, everything we touched was commented negatively on, neither one of us even wants to bother going out back anyway. Vacation happy lingered too long I guess, back to normal life. I bought plants and a huge carpet for the back porch, to transform it into a great living/working/school space but you know, I'm returning it. The fee isn't worth it.
I got up at 6, not having the best weekend (go figure) and have been working on Bankers new one subject/day schedule, it's the same course study he's been doing but it's really hard to make it balance. He and I had a long conversation about it Saturday night and we both think bundling the subject matter and allowing him to move through without having to swap out gears every 30 minutes is EXACTLY what we wanted to do at the outset. We are diving in this week so I need to get it laid out.
I have a preliminary schedule done and will see what he thinks of it when he gets up. We are thankfully out this afternoon with friends so it'll freshen our brains and and our souls.
Banker blew, completely blew the review pages on his new math. He blew it like, "are you sure you're actually the one who did this?" blew it. He knows how to do the work, easily, he explained it to be beautifully. It was the weirdest thing. This is easy work, maybe he got too cocky. I told him we are going to start again on Monday, completely from scratch. Even he was befuddled but not nearly so concerned as I think he should have been. The answer, "but I know how to do it" sort of fell flat with me. I think it was too easy, too fast (he did it at the game room coffee table while he was in a snit with me) and I am not NOT happy.
It sort of got me to thinking, his hurrying through to get to the next subject, that this is not the way I wanted this to go. This whole exercise is to allow him to pay attention to a subject, to think about it, study it and understand it completely, easily and comfortably without having to switch off and move on.
I thought long and hard about this one subject per day thing. The more I think about it, the more I like it. I am changing up his schedule, ya ya ya. One of the things I disliked about public school was the having to change gears 7 times a day and to never get INTO anything. That is exactly what *I* have done. I can't moan if I do the same thing.
Starting Monday, the new schedule will be one core and 2 "electives" per day with review on math and science on "day 5" which is our "extra" day. Yeah, that works, well, we'll see if it works. I like the idea he can actually get deeply into a subject and if I schedule it right, he won't be a full week between subjects, with reviews thrown in there... I just need to sit and think it through. Tomorrow I think for that.
I'm thinking about chickens, still/again. I started cleaning out my gazebo, measured around for chicken wire to reinforce the screening already there, looked online for a plan for a guy to turned a gazebo into a coop. I think other than a quick financial calculation, I have all my ducks in a row.. hahahahahahahahaha Sorry, I crack me up.
So, there's loads going on in my head and hopefully it'll transfer to paper and to fruition in the not too distant future.
/Tracy
ADDENDUM:
The chicken thing it dead. Husband buried, well half buried, sprinkler heads that now soak the gazebo. I thought the sprinklers would run close to the garden he half built last year but I was mistaken, again. I was cleaning and measuring and told him I'd found great plans to transform it and was going to use as a coop. So he installed soaking heads. It's going to rot the wood on the gazebo so even trying to cover it with plastic ? no. isn't going to work. Even me, the chicken uninitiated doesn't think you can house chickens in the line of sprinkers...passive aggression or my way or the highway. I don't know, I'm really very disappointed but forgot I'm voteless. Banker and I both had rough direction days, everything we touched was commented negatively on, neither one of us even wants to bother going out back anyway. Vacation happy lingered too long I guess, back to normal life. I bought plants and a huge carpet for the back porch, to transform it into a great living/working/school space but you know, I'm returning it. The fee isn't worth it.
I got up at 6, not having the best weekend (go figure) and have been working on Bankers new one subject/day schedule, it's the same course study he's been doing but it's really hard to make it balance. He and I had a long conversation about it Saturday night and we both think bundling the subject matter and allowing him to move through without having to swap out gears every 30 minutes is EXACTLY what we wanted to do at the outset. We are diving in this week so I need to get it laid out.
I have a preliminary schedule done and will see what he thinks of it when he gets up. We are thankfully out this afternoon with friends so it'll freshen our brains and and our souls.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Day Forty Three
There is more than math and science.
My Pug, Walter, is grossly overweight. Husband doesn't think Pugs should be on the ground, walk anywhere and has no willpower whatsoever against that adorable, pathetic, "I'm starving and am going to die because that woman won't feed me constantly" face. He sneak feeds Walter even when I ask specifically that he not, I'm worried for Walter's health and husband thinks it's cute. It isn't.
The Banker used to play soccer, play ball, run, jump, leap and play with friends at recess, lunch, PE class and on a team. He doesn't do any of those things at the moment and is going to start to thicken out in preparation for his prepubescent growth spurt. He's not happy with his "jiggle" although I assure him he has to get wide to grow enough skin to get taller, he doesn't buy it. I'm worried for Banker's physical stamina, he has none, and think he needs to get way more exercise.
BINGO!
Welcome to CasaW School PE Class... The Banker is walking Walter around our very very large block daily. As they both build stamina, the walk will include a wander around the neighborhood pond then across into another neighborhood then over to FriendC's neighborhood and walking further and further every day.
I have solid faith that both of them will shrink ever so slightly around the middle. Sure, this beckons the question why aren't *I* involved in the new exercise regime? *My* middle has grown to cataclysmic proportions lately with my peri-menopause belly bloat, stress eating and over exuberant cocktailing in a sad attempt to enhance my own universe. Well, the Banker needs time without me, the dog needs time without me, I need to be able to make a private phone call and it's almost getting too hot for me to be happy outside in Texas so I'll just stay "juicy" for a while and pull a Scarlet O'Hara and think about it tomorra'.
BRILLIANT. I'm going to bake a pie.
FriendZ shot me a list of books she was looking into for her 8th grade son. I wasn't going to think about 8th grade yet. I'm still in a whirlwind of 7th grade. Although, seriously, it feels like we've done more in the last month than his public school could have ever hoped to accomplish so I really wonder why we are still in 7th at at?! Anyway, I caved, I checked the books, reviewed the knowledge base he has to have at the end of 8th grade in Texas and loved them. I ordered them! So, history, grammar and literature courses next year are set!
BINGO! (you gotta love a 2 bingo day!)
The Banker scored 100 on his 6 review pages, honors questions and subsequent testing of Lesson 1 of his new math program. I had to run him through it all, he sort of expected it. We will just do the first practice and first systematic review for each lesson from now on. He is doing the honor level so he'll also have those to complete. He did all the work in his head so we had the 'show your work' talk. He confirmed he's done this type of questions for years and can do the simple =/- addition and subtraction of fractions very quickly. I sort of knew he could already do this but I like the fact he will have a more solid review and base and much much success which leads to greater confidence for my Banker.
The student book came with a summary sheet where you can log completion and/or grades for each lesson, review and tests. The Banker was simply delighted when I sat with red pen and input 100 in each little box and 100% under "test results". I think he misses grades, I need to grade more things for him, a check on the corner doesn't cut it and if needs a little stroking by the addition of a number in the corner of a piece of paper then who am I to deny him.
I still need to play with a spreadsheet for his scheduling and it's only March, even *I* can get a spreadsheet done for him by August! :) *I hate spreadsheets... do I really have to input the dates? *blech*
/Tracy
My Pug, Walter, is grossly overweight. Husband doesn't think Pugs should be on the ground, walk anywhere and has no willpower whatsoever against that adorable, pathetic, "I'm starving and am going to die because that woman won't feed me constantly" face. He sneak feeds Walter even when I ask specifically that he not, I'm worried for Walter's health and husband thinks it's cute. It isn't.
The Banker used to play soccer, play ball, run, jump, leap and play with friends at recess, lunch, PE class and on a team. He doesn't do any of those things at the moment and is going to start to thicken out in preparation for his prepubescent growth spurt. He's not happy with his "jiggle" although I assure him he has to get wide to grow enough skin to get taller, he doesn't buy it. I'm worried for Banker's physical stamina, he has none, and think he needs to get way more exercise.
BINGO!
Welcome to CasaW School PE Class... The Banker is walking Walter around our very very large block daily. As they both build stamina, the walk will include a wander around the neighborhood pond then across into another neighborhood then over to FriendC's neighborhood and walking further and further every day.
I have solid faith that both of them will shrink ever so slightly around the middle. Sure, this beckons the question why aren't *I* involved in the new exercise regime? *My* middle has grown to cataclysmic proportions lately with my peri-menopause belly bloat, stress eating and over exuberant cocktailing in a sad attempt to enhance my own universe. Well, the Banker needs time without me, the dog needs time without me, I need to be able to make a private phone call and it's almost getting too hot for me to be happy outside in Texas so I'll just stay "juicy" for a while and pull a Scarlet O'Hara and think about it tomorra'.
BRILLIANT. I'm going to bake a pie.
FriendZ shot me a list of books she was looking into for her 8th grade son. I wasn't going to think about 8th grade yet. I'm still in a whirlwind of 7th grade. Although, seriously, it feels like we've done more in the last month than his public school could have ever hoped to accomplish so I really wonder why we are still in 7th at at?! Anyway, I caved, I checked the books, reviewed the knowledge base he has to have at the end of 8th grade in Texas and loved them. I ordered them! So, history, grammar and literature courses next year are set!
BINGO! (you gotta love a 2 bingo day!)
The Banker scored 100 on his 6 review pages, honors questions and subsequent testing of Lesson 1 of his new math program. I had to run him through it all, he sort of expected it. We will just do the first practice and first systematic review for each lesson from now on. He is doing the honor level so he'll also have those to complete. He did all the work in his head so we had the 'show your work' talk. He confirmed he's done this type of questions for years and can do the simple =/- addition and subtraction of fractions very quickly. I sort of knew he could already do this but I like the fact he will have a more solid review and base and much much success which leads to greater confidence for my Banker.
The student book came with a summary sheet where you can log completion and/or grades for each lesson, review and tests. The Banker was simply delighted when I sat with red pen and input 100 in each little box and 100% under "test results". I think he misses grades, I need to grade more things for him, a check on the corner doesn't cut it and if needs a little stroking by the addition of a number in the corner of a piece of paper then who am I to deny him.
I still need to play with a spreadsheet for his scheduling and it's only March, even *I* can get a spreadsheet done for him by August! :) *I hate spreadsheets... do I really have to input the dates? *blech*
/Tracy
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Day Twenty Eight
WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO IN SCHOOL ALL DAY LONG FOR 8 YEARS?
I am on a public school tirade, really, at what point did they tell him he's now ALLOWED to try?
I am trying to find the level for Bankers new math program and he's FREAKING out. There are the weirdest gaps in his math knowledge. He is stumped by a couple really basic 5th grade problems but flying through a couple of really advanced algebra problems. Worst, he's freaking out. Wow.
I knew it would be a challenge to determine the "right" level of math program to buy him based on the competency review pages they gave me but I had no idea. I want to be sure I get this right, get the dummy down version if it's all work he's already done and he'll hate the program because he'll be bored out of his skull but I don't want to get the next level up because, if today's meltdown is any indication, this level of challenge, venturing into totally new ground, will send him off the cliff.
I'm totally and completely gobsmacked at his comments and completely hysterical reaction about facing these problems!
OH WOW, THAT is the problem, he has no skill set to cope with "trying" a problem. He looks and either makes a blanket statement that he knows how to do it or he doesn't.
The meltdown, and I am talking massive, complete, teenage girl in full drama worthy, meltdown is because he "can't" just "try" the problems he doesn't know how to do.
"They didn't TEACH US THAT"!!
"Well, honey, give it your best shot, try to think it out and give your best answer, you might surprise yourself".
"BUT THEY DIDN'T TELL US HOW TO DO THAT" *weep weep*
"hey... this is a just a rough outline so I can see where you are and what you know, your math teachers never gave us any indication of what you were learning. No need to freak out, babe, just go through and see which ones you can figure out"
"But we're not ALLOWED to do that, she said if we don't KNOW how to do it, then skip it" stomp stomp weep weep snarl
Wow, school system, nice job. NOT ALLOWED? to what? TRY??? BITE me.
Ok, we've had a chat, he's washed his face and he's successfully passed the pretest to determine which test he takes. Wow, that hurt. He asks questions that shock me... "am I allowed to think of numbers with decimals as money?" WHAT? YES you can THINK ... just THINK... however you want.
Now then, I do know that some of this is Bankers innate rule following, letter of the law, there is no grey only black and white, personality. But, come on, I'm sure he's been told he's not "allowed" to think of things a certain way or not "allowed" to figure out a different way to do a problem so it's not ALL on me!
--MOTHERING MOMENT--
Ok now... were are we? He passed the competency for the overall pretest. Oh wait a minute... I just checked and he's gotten all the questions correct...the calming down effect is working. Little successes go a long way with the Banker. He's not frantic, teary, pissy or on the edge of any precipice. I went in the dining room to stop him thinking I'd made the decision to buy him the pre-algebra (unless he pulls off some colossal mathematical brilliance in there). I want him to be successful right off the bat and he can work through quickly, I don't think he'll be bored, he does have knowledge gaps. I didn't stop him though, he's getting it, slowly, he's thinking and I am not about to stop him.
I'm helping him, not really but directing, a little stroking is really making this so much easier for him. This isn't an exam, it's to place him and if me saying, "are you sure, did you double check your decimal points" helps him work it through, after the biblical level fit this morning, then I think it's the right way to go. This is interesting watching him calm down and work through and sit and think...
THIS is why we do this. I feel very VERY good about the homeschooling decision right now. Life is about thinking and school wasn't letting him think.
On a side note, he discovered the sitting on the couch eating your lunch watching tv moment. Luckily he's a huge fan of Science Channel, Discovery Channel and History so he was watching something I'd call a documentary, way to keep learning, babe!
He ultimately flew through that level competency test and we decided to just stop with the tests. We are going to get him pre-algebra and he can work through as quickly as he is able to to get a good, solid, base for the rest of the programs through this system.
Good plan after a really really bad morning.
It's 11, he's doing the sample pre-algebra lesson online to get a 'feel' for the class and he seems pleased he can answer all the questions so far, easily. He's getting a crazy late start on his regular day but that's the freedom of this, isn't it?
I'm exhausted already, nothing kills you quite like seeing your child on the edge of hysterics and in tears, notwithstanding the cause so I'm just spent for the day. I'm going to order his math program then have a well earned glass of wine.
He's going to work through his "easy" day and then hopefully feel great at the end of it.
Me? I'm really looking forward to our camping trip.
/Tracy
I am on a public school tirade, really, at what point did they tell him he's now ALLOWED to try?
I am trying to find the level for Bankers new math program and he's FREAKING out. There are the weirdest gaps in his math knowledge. He is stumped by a couple really basic 5th grade problems but flying through a couple of really advanced algebra problems. Worst, he's freaking out. Wow.
I knew it would be a challenge to determine the "right" level of math program to buy him based on the competency review pages they gave me but I had no idea. I want to be sure I get this right, get the dummy down version if it's all work he's already done and he'll hate the program because he'll be bored out of his skull but I don't want to get the next level up because, if today's meltdown is any indication, this level of challenge, venturing into totally new ground, will send him off the cliff.
I'm totally and completely gobsmacked at his comments and completely hysterical reaction about facing these problems!
OH WOW, THAT is the problem, he has no skill set to cope with "trying" a problem. He looks and either makes a blanket statement that he knows how to do it or he doesn't.
The meltdown, and I am talking massive, complete, teenage girl in full drama worthy, meltdown is because he "can't" just "try" the problems he doesn't know how to do.
"They didn't TEACH US THAT"!!
"Well, honey, give it your best shot, try to think it out and give your best answer, you might surprise yourself".
"BUT THEY DIDN'T TELL US HOW TO DO THAT" *weep weep*
"hey... this is a just a rough outline so I can see where you are and what you know, your math teachers never gave us any indication of what you were learning. No need to freak out, babe, just go through and see which ones you can figure out"
"But we're not ALLOWED to do that, she said if we don't KNOW how to do it, then skip it" stomp stomp weep weep snarl
Wow, school system, nice job. NOT ALLOWED? to what? TRY??? BITE me.
Ok, we've had a chat, he's washed his face and he's successfully passed the pretest to determine which test he takes. Wow, that hurt. He asks questions that shock me... "am I allowed to think of numbers with decimals as money?" WHAT? YES you can THINK ... just THINK... however you want.
Now then, I do know that some of this is Bankers innate rule following, letter of the law, there is no grey only black and white, personality. But, come on, I'm sure he's been told he's not "allowed" to think of things a certain way or not "allowed" to figure out a different way to do a problem so it's not ALL on me!
--MOTHERING MOMENT--
Ok now... were are we? He passed the competency for the overall pretest. Oh wait a minute... I just checked and he's gotten all the questions correct...the calming down effect is working. Little successes go a long way with the Banker. He's not frantic, teary, pissy or on the edge of any precipice. I went in the dining room to stop him thinking I'd made the decision to buy him the pre-algebra (unless he pulls off some colossal mathematical brilliance in there). I want him to be successful right off the bat and he can work through quickly, I don't think he'll be bored, he does have knowledge gaps. I didn't stop him though, he's getting it, slowly, he's thinking and I am not about to stop him.
I'm helping him, not really but directing, a little stroking is really making this so much easier for him. This isn't an exam, it's to place him and if me saying, "are you sure, did you double check your decimal points" helps him work it through, after the biblical level fit this morning, then I think it's the right way to go. This is interesting watching him calm down and work through and sit and think...
THIS is why we do this. I feel very VERY good about the homeschooling decision right now. Life is about thinking and school wasn't letting him think.
On a side note, he discovered the sitting on the couch eating your lunch watching tv moment. Luckily he's a huge fan of Science Channel, Discovery Channel and History so he was watching something I'd call a documentary, way to keep learning, babe!
He ultimately flew through that level competency test and we decided to just stop with the tests. We are going to get him pre-algebra and he can work through as quickly as he is able to to get a good, solid, base for the rest of the programs through this system.
Good plan after a really really bad morning.
It's 11, he's doing the sample pre-algebra lesson online to get a 'feel' for the class and he seems pleased he can answer all the questions so far, easily. He's getting a crazy late start on his regular day but that's the freedom of this, isn't it?
I'm exhausted already, nothing kills you quite like seeing your child on the edge of hysterics and in tears, notwithstanding the cause so I'm just spent for the day. I'm going to order his math program then have a well earned glass of wine.
He's going to work through his "easy" day and then hopefully feel great at the end of it.
Me? I'm really looking forward to our camping trip.
/Tracy
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)