Raising Little Shoots Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I have two daughters with whom I have just begun to follow WTM. They are aged 5 & 8. Whilst I have always had 'structured' homeschool, it has been nothing like WTM & I after reading WTM, I now feel they are 'behind'. I don't feel too bothered by this (except for when i break out in a cold sweat in the middle of the night!!!) We have begun to follow my version of WTM & I am really pleased with how things are going. But I have learned a lot about myself so far - I am quite 'soft' - I want them to have fun - & this isnt always fun. No one has protested yet - but it is only time. Please may I ask for thoughts on this from other classical homeschoolers. I can see that my children will get a much better education if I am following a method of this sort. (Than what I was doing previously) How do I toughen up? How do you keep focused? Advice & thoughts welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 They are five and eight. Relax your thoughts a little. :D I know, easier said than done, but really, in hindsight - just reading about a 5 year old child possibly being "behind" made me chuckle a bit - and even your 8 year old can hardly be much "behind", if at all. Things will regulate themselves with time. You will find your own measure and what suits your family. You will adapt things - it is supposed to be adapted to individual situations. Yes, there is some dry work along the way and things are not always fun, but you learn handling things by - doing them. Which you seem to be doing. So however you look at it, you are probably on the right road. No reason to wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night! :D You keep focused by having a goal, and by gently going back on track in the periods - and there will be those - when you get sidetracked by other things in life. :) I am not sure in which ways do you wish to toughen up with so small children - can you elaborate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 They're young yet. I have naturally become more rigorous with each child as he gets older, tailoring the academic program to their developmental level. :) I think you'll have better results if you gradually increase your expectations. It's a matter of careful attention and adjustment so that you're increasing demand as they become more able but you're not overwhelming them with more than they can bear. Teaching isn't necessarily a matter of soft vs. tough. Think of it instead as gentle and firm at the same time. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Ha! Let me explain myself further... when it comes to reading, my 8 yo is 'behind'. I know she will 'catch up', but following TWTM is more intensive for me, as I have to be with her for pretty much everything. As for soft, perhaps that was the wrong word to use. Inconsistent, may be a better choice. My heart strings can easily be pulled, leading to inconsistency. My aim is to follow a classical path & to do so I will need to develop a tougher skin & increase my consistency. thank you myfunnybunch & Ester Marie for your thoughts & reassurance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 ...following TWTM is more intensive for me, as I have to be with her for pretty much everything. As for soft, perhaps that was the wrong word to use. Inconsistent, may be a better choice. My heart strings can easily be pulled, leading to inconsistency. My aim is to follow a classical path & to do so I will need to develop a tougher skin & increase my consistency. I think the "grammar-stage" years are intensive for the teacher, because you are focusing on developing so many "parts." You teach them to read, to print letters, to write in cursive; you teach them grammar, you teach them how to do copywork and then dictation, you teach them how to narrate a piece, you teach them math facts and math processes. It is a LOT of (mental) work for Mom and a lot for Mom to keep track of, for each kid! :D Even though for the kid it might be only 2-3 hours. They seem to like the variety of tasks each day so they don't get bored on any one task, but we have the harder time because we naturally think we *should* be spending more time on one task, and we have to keep mentally telling ourselves to let our kids do little bits of each task each day. As for the inconsistency - when I first started using TWTM as a guide, my son was in grade 1. I had the unschooling mentality before that, and I wanted to do all sorts of different things with him. So, it was a months-long adjustment for me to filter some things out of my mind and make academic skills more of a priority. After I got that settled in my mind and translated into daily routine, then I could somewhat go "inconsistent" again - meaning, still do the daily academic stuff, but not mind getting side-tracked into an interesting conversation with my child, or into a fun project. You will find your own path, don't worry!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 They are five and eight. Relax your thoughts a little. :D Well, it's very comforting to see this from our esteemed EM! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 My heart strings can easily be pulled, leading to inconsistency. Please take this well. I say it because I genuinely care about you and your children.... You have to get over this, both for your homeschooling and for your parenting in general. Inconsistent is probably the worst thing you can be. You will need to toughen yourself up a bit. You have to think beyond loving them so much that you want to give in... all the way deep down to loving them so much you don't give in. There is no reason your dc will ever need to fight you on rigorous homeschooling. Just tell them and show them over and over and over that it is wonderful, it is best for them, and so forth. That said, take it easy on the five year old. That is still young, and you want to gently increase the work load. So many parents fail doing exactly what you are about to do: inconsistency and relaxed schooling, then.. BAM!... rigorous, structured. You have to ease into it EVEN if you feel behind. Give them time to adjust. You can catch up anything you feel you are behind over time. You will get there! Don't worry! :001_smile: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 My aim is to follow a classical path & to do so I will need to develop a tougher skin & increase my consistency. What a wise momma you are. You're on exactly the right track. Consistency and routine are your friends. Give your 8 y.o. lots of patience and time for her reading skills to catch up. Keep meeting her at her level and moving her along. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 <I think the "grammar-stage" years are intensive for the teacher> As for the inconsistency - when I first started using TWTM as a guide, my son was in grade 1. I had the unschooling mentality before that, and I wanted to do all sorts of different things with him. So, it was a months-long adjustment for me to filter some things out of my mind and make academic skills more of a priority. After I got that settled in my mind and translated into daily routine, then I could somewhat go "inconsistent" again - meaning, still do the daily academic stuff, but not mind getting side-tracked into an interesting conversation with my child, or into a fun project. thank you Colleen, this is spot on. In the back of my mind I am thinking, oh, this is so dry they must be hating it :confused: But, I have to keep my eye on the goal - because without these skills, they are not going to have a classical education. Thank you again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Please take this well. I say it because I genuinely care about you and your children....Inconsistent is probably the worst thing you can be. You will need to toughen yourself up a bit. You have to think beyond loving them so much that you want to give in... all the way deep down to loving them so much you don't give in. thank you Angela, I agree 100% My 5 yo has actually built up her workload gradually over the last couple of months. I really dont think either of them are doing too much - in fact, going by WTM, they could be doing more It is my mind I need to change. You have been really helpful, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 What a wise momma you are. You're on exactly the right track. Consistency and routine are your friends. Give your 8 y.o. lots of patience and time for her reading skills to catch up. Keep meeting her at her level and moving her along. Cat Oh, thank you Cat - thank you for your encouragment - I struggle massively with guilt (endless story, down to the relationship with my own mother. Sigh) Anyhow, 5 yo is watching me type & she is wanting to add lots of smilies, so over to her! lol! :iagree: :auto: :lurk5: :lol: :grouphug: :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I have two daughters with whom I have just begun to follow WTM.They are aged 5 & 8. Whilst I have always had 'structured' homeschool, it has been nothing like WTM & I after reading WTM, I now feel they are 'behind'. I don't feel too bothered by this (except for when i break out in a cold sweat in the middle of the night!!!) We have begun to follow my version of WTM & I am really pleased with how things are going. But I have learned a lot about myself so far - I am quite 'soft' - I want them to have fun - & this isnt always fun. No one has protested yet - but it is only time. Please may I ask for thoughts on this from other classical homeschoolers. I can see that my children will get a much better education if I am following a method of this sort. (Than what I was doing previously) How do I toughen up? How do you keep focused? Advice & thoughts welcomed. If you hang out a bit you may discover that some of the best programs available are also a lot of fun. You don't have to have a bad time to promote a quality education. Consistency? Certainly. A tough/hard attitude? Not necessarily. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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