First, and becoming more and more noticeable the longer we homeschool, interrupting children. (I know, it sounds like a bad joke...Knock knock...whose there? Interrupting children. Interrupting chil....MOM!!!) But seriously...my kids, whose every word I treasure, each wise and fascinating nugget of info they wish to offer while we are in lessons... become crazy self absorbed, blindly egotistical creatures who then expect that there are simply no boundaries that cannot be breached. I mean, you are going into the bathroom, well, no big deal, they are certain that you would immediately want to hear about a leaf found in the hallway that looks EXACTLY like a stink bug, it absolutely can't wait until hands are washed, no. Deep in conversation with Dad about the schedule in the morning? no worries, It is assured that the snack you want NOW, simply cannot wait for little things like FINISHING MY SENTENCE BECAUSE I AM TALKING TO YOUR FATHER!!!! ahem, sorry, but it is gotten quite out of hand and we are attempting to address it post haste. There is definitely a benefit for kids to learn to sit down, be quiet, and I don't care what you have to say at this moment, I am busy. I think they learn better in public school that their every thought and experience is not welcomed with wonder and awe.
Second, planning, planning, planning. It is worse than housework. I mean going on an awesome field trip to say...make glass, FUN FUN FUN. Creating a knowledgeable lesson to be able to squeeze that mind around some learning that relates to tings done during the day in a broader sense like ancient glass making or the effect of factories and automation on the industrialized age... Sigh, sucks the life out of the joy, I confess sometimes we just go and have fun.
Third Humbleness. There is nothing quite so ego shattering as a your 6 year old daughter correcting your mistake while teaching a lesson. Or your 8 year old son fixing a math error you made. Listen, I hear a lot from people who claim there is no way they could ever teach their kids as they lack the knowledge. Well, evidently I am right there as well ( even though I DO have the pre-school agenda mastered. I make it to about late elementary school but overall, it is ridiculous how little I know sometimes. I am learning so much but the trick is to try to keep that to myself, at least as long as possible. Learning in order to teach, I suspect is common for all teachers. ( Besides how many of us really could remember all those prepositions without a little cheat sheet??)
Finally, Dirt and clutter. The house is a mess. No, really, a mess. It is hard to keep up. Should I teach grammar today or trade a lesson to get the bathrooms cleaned? When they were in school and out of the house there was only so much they could get into, now they are home, ( I mean we DO go out, actually a lot but you understand) we are home for most every meal, ( yeah, 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches 6 dinners every day-I am running the dishwasher twice a day sometimes.) We are together all the time (ALL.THE.TIME) and trying to clean the house is like bailing a sinking boat, it is a losing battle. There are days I throw my hands up and do the ostrich, only in my bed, not the sand. The mess is a tidal wave that threatens to sweep me away at times.
So, there you have it. Not too bad and I have omitted a few hundred but today, these are the ones that bother me. Would I trade it in for a clean house, un-interrupting kids, retained knowledge ( or at least ignorance of my limitations) and weekends free of planning?....Nope, not a chance,
(turn head "WHAT? WHAT? could it not wait another second when I would be done blogging?")
sigh
gotta go.
No comments:
Post a Comment