Teacher Notes

Just in case anyone was wondering, Solveig does not like being left out of lessons.  We’ve learned to keep an old notebook and crayons and things like that handy so that she can be at the table with us.  If I put her and Elias in another area with a game, she will not be satisfied.  She must be where the action is.  All the time.

Here are the kids working.  My knitting is on the table, as I was working on blocking the mittens out this day.  David is just a couple of days away from finishing his 1st grade math.  It may seem like he’s ahead, but I was planning on him being done with it by Christmas, so I feel a bit behind.  It’s all about expectations, I guess.

It was a good week, I guess.  I wasn’t on top of our history lessons as much, and I let Silje and David do their own thing a few mornings, and started school late.  I like to do this and I hate it too.  One morning when it was time to start our lessons, David was up to his neck working on building a rocket out of boxes from the garage.  He was putting all these inventions on it, and cutting and coloring and taping like a madman.  I was so pleased with what he was doing, I let him finish…which took a few hours.

Likewise, Silje was really had picked up a bunch of books on the Great Depression at the library as it’s her new obsession.  She was reading book after book, after book.  We’re studying in our curriculum the founding of the United States government right now, so we’re not exactly studying what she was reading.  However, she was so into it and learning so much, that I just let it ride out for awhile and we started our real lessons later.

I like having that flexibility, but on the other hand, on those days when I let them do their own projects in the morning, they are just terrible at doing their “schoolwork” in the afternoon.  It’s when I get the most whining, the most “I CAN’T DO IT!!” and the sloppiest work.  It’s really frustrating.  I wish we could have both constructive play time  and constructive work time.

So I know I need to seize their mornings so that I can work with them on the things I want to get done, but then in the afternoon they end up grumpy about their play.  They don’t know what to do, and their imaginations are done, and they beg to just watch t.v. or play on the computer.  Blah.  I want them to have fantastic play as well, because I think they learn so much through “good” play.

So basically, the lesson I’m learning is that afternoons are frustrating, whether we do school or play then.

However, my writing things out a month ahead of time has worked really well.  Both the kids and I have really benefited from having their daily list ready for them when they wake up, so that they understand what we need to get done that day.  I’m realizing it’s soon February, and I need to write out February’s lists A.S.A.P.  The only subject that we couldn’t keep up with on their assignment sheets was David’s reading.  I had written in the 3rd grade schedule, and forgotten we were doing to do it more at a 1st grade pace.  We can read a chapter a day, but the 3rd grade schedule occasionally had 2 chapter days, and we just can’t do that.  So I’ll have to adjust his future lessons accordingly.

Today, however, it’s all my substitute teacher’s problem.  Principal Knut is stepping in as I get the morning off with Ingrid for my very last midwife appointment.  It’s hard to believe that my time with her is complete.

Tonight the kids get to participate in a “variety” or talent show with their homeschool group.  David is still planning on a magic trick.  Silje was going to do a piano piece, but then decided all of her friends there already play the piano, and so there’s nothing unique about that.  I tried to tell her every song was unique, but she decided to bake a bunch of goodies to bring for her talent.  Since that means I don’t have to bake anything to bring, I’m supporting this choice.

I might bring a few of her piano books too.  Just in case.