Are YOU a slacker? Or are you a glowing example of homeschooling prowess?

[msjones]

The huge 'Moms Who May/May Not Really Teach Their Kiddos' thread has me thinking.

 

I'm betting most of us have areas in which we feel weak-ish :crying: as well as areas in which we are GLOWING with success.:Angel_anim:

 

What are you doing really well?

What would you like to improve?

[gardening momma]

I'm a slacker, but I hope to improve. I just haven't started on it yet. I'm a procrastinator, too. :leaving:

 

ETA: for one thing, I'm STILL sitting here at my computer. I need to go offline more often. I have dishes to do, among many other things.

[Renee in NC]

I'm a slacker. I struggle with homeschooling. I have 3 below grade level (according to the WTM.) I try to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint! We are making progress, but slowly. They do all have learning issues of some sort, but their remediation is not at the level I hope for yet.

 

I am trying to ramp things up, but we have some discipline and schedule issues to deal with right now. We are doing better this year than in the past, but it still isn't where I want to be.

 

So, my weaknesses are not content-related, but rather time and energy related.

[smrtmama]

I don't know what you people are talking about. I have no weaknesses. Every area is the area where I glow. I always do everything right, my child excels at every subject, and I have oodles of me-time left over afterwards.

 

Please ignore the below link to my blog. I'm pretty sure it was hacked by a less-than-perfect homeschooler and is full of lies.

[Ginevra]

Depends on when you ask. Right now, I have PMS and I'm pretty sure I am the worst homeschooler on these boards.

 

Ask again next week.

[sunshine]

Depends on when you ask. Right now, I have PMS and I'm pretty sure I am the worst homeschooler on these boards.

 

Ask again next week.

 

 

Yeah, what she said~:tongue_smilie:

[NavyWifeandMommy]

Depends on when you ask. Right now, I have PMS and I'm pretty sure I am the worst homeschooler on these boards.

 

Ask again next week.

 

I am in the same boat at you right now.

 

Though in general I wouldn't say I am a slacker but I don't plow thru the stuff. Life happens, then school and then house. We just got done visiting family, and now preparing to leave for a new duty station.

[hsmom3tn]

Depends on what part of the year it is...

 

First semester I'm all over it!

Second semester I'm a bit of a slacker.

 

Here's what happens:

 

We're doing great so we decide to take a fall break in late Oct./early Nov. Then I figure since Thanksgiving is so close and we're so far ahead, we'll take off or slack off a bit until Thanksgiving. Then we don't do much through the first few weeks of December because you're supposed to take it easy that time of year. Then two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's.

 

After all that, it's REALLY hard to get motivated again. :glare:

[KidsHappen]

Slacker here. I make beautiful kids though. :)

[Harriet Vane]

Depends what day you ask.

[angela in ohio]

I swing abruptly, wildly, helplessly between, "I've got this under control and know what I'm doing," and "I am ruining these kids' lives."

[dragons in the flower bed]

I don't think I'm a slacker but that's because I have very low standards. :D

 

Some examples . . .

 

I never have the supplies I need for the kids' scheduled science experiments. This is a problem I have attempted to rectify every single year of the seven years I have homeschooled. I have yet to find a real solution. I think what I need is to be able to leave the house at the drop of a hat to run out and get whatever it turns out we needed. One year I gathered all the materials at the beginning of each month. I found myself lacking stuff like a patch of grass to square off with string to observe, and sunshine to lay black paper under. It was rainy that whole dang month, and we live in a city apartment. I decided that month that completing every science lesson was actually impossible and now I don't even try to gather everything.

 

Four years ago I spent tons of money on the best research-based handwriting programs for my nine-year-old. Now my nine-year-old is my most writing reluctant kid. Seeing the joy my seven-year-old had in scribbling illegibly, I never dared interfere by teaching him how to write. He can. He has nice handwriting, actually, perfectly readable. He writes quickly and isn't reluctant at all. I think he still makes most letters by starting at the bottom. I plan to use the same non-method with my next up kid.

Edited January 15, 2010 by dragons in the flower bed

[Mrs Mungo]

Are YOU a slacker? Or are you a glowing example of homeschooling prowess?

 

Yes. :001_smile:

[Jami]

I swing abruptly, wildly, helplessly between, "I've got this under control and know what I'm doing," and "I am ruining these kids' lives."

 

Really?? I would never have guessed that you have those days. You seem so very calm and sure here! (It's comforting to know though. ;))

[lllll]

slacker

[elegantlion]

Today I am a slacker. I've had a really stressful week and today I allowed a reluctant student, my only student, to skip 3 subjects in exchange for a five minute backrub. He willingly obliged.

[muffinmom]

Not a slacker...I'm very consistent with math, history, LA. But I drag my feet on giving my kids experiences, such as field trips, taking outside classes, etc. I have a strange aversion to pinning myself down to a specific day at a specific time for a scheduled event. I will do things on the spur of the moment, but I really hate going on field trips with other people...I like going at my pace.:tongue_smilie:

 

I also struggle with subjects that aren't pick up and go...like the Science I have chosen. It's great but not as teacher friendly as I would like. Therefore, it doesn't get done every week.

 

Wish I could tie up my loose ends!:glare:

[muffinmom]

Today I am a slacker. I've had a really stressful week and today I allowed a reluctant student, my only student, to skip 3 subjects in exchange for a five minute backrub. He willingly obliged.

 

 

*like*

 

wait...I'm not on FB!:D

[Parrothead]

I am a slacker until about May.

[catalinakel]

Depends on what part of the year it is...

 

First semester I'm all over it!

Second semester I'm a bit of a slacker.

 

Here's what happens:

 

We're doing great so we decide to take a fall break in late Oct./early Nov. Then I figure since Thanksgiving is so close and we're so far ahead, we'll take off or slack off a bit until Thanksgiving. Then we don't do much through the first few weeks of December because you're supposed to take it easy that time of year. Then two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's.

 

After all that, it's REALLY hard to get motivated again. :glare:

 

This must be a common phenomena.....

[mommyrooch]

I am a slacker until about May.

 

I actually chuckled at this. :lol:

 

I would say that I am this way too. I am way more of a slacker than I know I should be. When May comes along I start panicking and doing the flight of the Bumblebee trying to "catch up" so I don't mess my kids up for life. :tongue_smilie: Then I have to take a :chillpill: and realize that I'm probably doing a whole lot more for them than public school would do so then I am able to relax, a little. ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Not a slacker but not a glowing example either. I'm a plugger. One of my mottoes is "slow and steady wins the race". This is one of the reasons we homeschool year around.

[Dawn in OH]

Not a slacker...I'm very consistent with math, history, LA. But I drag my feet on giving my kids experiences, such as field trips, taking outside classes, etc. I have a strange aversion to pinning myself down to a specific day at a specific time for a scheduled event. I will do things on the spur of the moment, but I really hate going on field trips with other people...I like going at my pace.

 

 

 

This sounds a lot like me.

 

I'm not consistent with History or Science though.

I'm very focused on Reading, Phonics, Grammar and Math.

 

I always have lessons planned, sometimes they fall through because the kids are giving me a hard time and being pregnant and tired I sometimes surrender too quickly. I was much stricter pre-pregnancy.

 

The computer is definitely a distraction for me.

[Aggie]

I swing abruptly, wildly, helplessly between, "I've got this under control and know what I'm doing," and "I am ruining these kids' lives."

 

Ditto.

 

This week I'm researching private schools because I'm at the "I'm ruining their lives" end of the spectrum.

 

The closer it gets to the high school years the more I'm on this end. :(

[Desert Rat]

Science is my weak spot. My dh used to get on me, er, encourage me, to do more science with the boys. That was until he got laid off in October. Now he is home for science Wednesdays. Ha! He looked at me yesterday and said, "Wow. I'm surprised you do any science with them!" They are just super excited about that subject and like to dive right in without instructions and my oldest is constantly touching everything laid out which makes it hard to keep track of things. Plus, I'm more of a literature person myself and science was never one of my favorites. I'm trying my hardest but must admit that I will use any excuse to skip it.

I do best with math and language arts. My proudest subject though is Latin. I think I'm doing really well teaching seeing as I don't have a background in it.

[KidsHappen]

Not a slacker but not a glowing example either. I'm a plugger. One of my mottoes is "slow and steady wins the race". This is one of the reasons we homeschool year around.

 

We do this as well and probably for similar reasons. :001_smile:

[myfunnybunch]

I am a glowing example of homeschooling prowess.

 

(In my dreams.)

 

The rest of the time I just think we're doing pretty darn all right since we're learning and we all enjoy what we're doing. The heck with being an example, glowing or otherwise, right?

 

Cat

[Jill- OK]

I don't think I'm a slacker but that's because I have very low standards. :D

 

Hey...I resemble that remark. :lol:

 

Not really, though.

 

And I don't believe that about Rose, either.

 

But it is true that according to my standards--whatever those are in relation to everyone else's--we do okay. I do okay.

 

Until I don't. ::Shrug::

 

The teaching part of my parenting is like any other part...it ain't perfect. And sometimes I slack. But then I wake up and realize that we need to be done slacking, and so we get back up again. Lather, rinse, repeat, ad nauseum.

[Laura Corin]

I'm dreadful at arts and crafts. The most I do is to have lots of materials around, and a curriculum for the one who is interested to follow. I do tell him: now it's art time. I do help him if he gets stuck. But I'm sure my lack of enthusiasm is very clear. We do go to art galleries and cycle through art appreciation. It's just doing the stuff I can't bear.

 

Laura

[Impish]

Depends on the day/hour/minute. And which kid ;)

[Peela]

If I hold up TWTM as the ideal standard of what to get through each day....I'm a slacker.

But we dont take days off very often. We plod along consistently with a steady routine.

[tex-mex]

Slacking this week for sure -- son and hubby are sick. I was sick earlier for the last week and half. Did allow time for me to take down the Christmas decor, put laundry away, and (finally) catch up on lesson plans. LOL Now if only I had a magic wand to clean the rest of the house and energy to teach when son is healthy! :D

[Erica in PA]

This year, I have to admit that I am a slacker. We're pretty much just doing the basics: reading, writing, and math. My kids have a weekly co-op where they do history and science, as well as other supplemental classes like art and music. They have homework in history and science, and pretty much do it on their own. But this year is definitely the most unlike WTM that we've had. I've been really sluggish and tired and uninterested in school. I am hopeful that next year, when we're settled in our new house, it will be different. For now, 2 of my 3 kids are on grade level, and the third is only a bit behind because of initial trouble she had with letter/number reversals last year, which really held up her reading, writing, and math skills. She's overcoming those now, and making good progress.

 

So I'm not doing horribly badly, but I definitely could be doing better, and be more engaged in schooling. I don't see that happening anytime soon with our new house closing on Jan. 29th, and so much to do before and after that date. But there is always hope for the future!

[justamouse]

Not a slacker but not a glowing example either. I'm a plugger. One of my mottoes is "slow and steady wins the race". This is one of the reasons we homeschool year around.

 

This. Slow and steady wins the race.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Well, most people we know think I am glowing with success, I hate to burst their bubble. ;-)

 

I do try to keep on the ball with most school requirements, but after 18 years some "educational" things just don't seem so important anymore. So I will skip some stuff and am not very upset if we don't get to others. Friends and relatives who started homeschooling because of my influence are way more stringent than I am, and it makes me feel guilty, but I also don't really want to get uber-stressed about it again. I've had enough of stressed. The only thing WTM about me is an adapted history/literature cycle, and I own the book.

 

And yes, I spend too much time reading for pleasure and time on the computer. Housework is at the bottom of my to do list. If we are fed, and have clean dishes and laundry, life is good.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Virginia Dawn

[MamaT]

Not a slacker but not a glowing example either. I'm a plugger. One of my mottoes is "slow and steady wins the race".

 

I am definitely a plugger.

[MariannNOVA]

I haven't had time to read all the other replies, but yes, I procrastinate (look up the word in the dictionary, there will be a photo of me next to it) but I am not sure that makes me a slacker. In fact, now there are two words that I am certain one would never use to describe me: redneck and slacker. :D

 

I am, however, phenomenol at 'multi-tasking' and taking on more than someone else might be able to manage and then breaking out into a sprint and getting it all accomplished and accomplished well.

 

I would like NOT to procrastinate and I would like 'life' not to intrude on my lesson plans. THAT is what makes (for me) being a classroom teacher so satisfying......I would walk into my classroom every day, we would do our work, I would impart some little gem of something to my students, and we would go home at 3:15. I've not achieved that yet with homeschooling - granted we have had more than our share of 'wrenches' thrown into this school year, but I would SO love for our homeschool to run as smoothly as the well-oiled machine that was my 'classroom.'

 

Do we learn what I have set out to teach and more? Absolutely. The very nature of being able to go here and there, the people we meet, the things we see, and the discussions we have are a huge positive.

 

Mariann

[prim*rose]

You know, I sometimes feel ok with what we're doing in school, but then I come to the boards and feel inadequate.

 

And yes, I'm a slacker. I have a sink full of dirty dishes I should be doing, and I'm sure there are dustbunnies that need to be swept up. But I'm on the computer.

[Caribbean Queen]

Neither. I'm inbetween.

[M&M]

This year, I have to admit that I am a slacker. We're pretty much just doing the basics: reading, writing, and math. My kids have a bi-weekly co-op

 

supplemental classes like art and music.

 

But this year is definitely the most unlike WTM that we've had. I've been really sluggish and tired and uninterested in school. I am hopeful that next year, when we're settled in our new house, it will be different. For now, 2 of my 3 kids are on grade level, and the one is behind because of math skills.

 

So I'm not doing horribly badly, but I definitely could be doing better, and be more engaged in schooling. I don't see that happening anytime soon with our present house closing on Jan. 29th, and so much to do before and after that date. But there is always hope for the future!

 

 

If you add in my recovery from a miscarriage in September, and renovating part of my in-laws house so we can move in, you have us.

 

I feel very much the slaker this year.

Edited January 15, 2010 by M&M

[Garga]

I'm not a slacker and I'm more than a plodder. However, it's just 2nd grade and preschool so far, so I don't want to sound braggy, because things can change, but we're in a really good place right now.

 

I pour a considerable amount of energy into teaching the children and I do not slack. Even when I don't want to do something (crafts, sci projects), I suck it up and do it anyway. I'm certainly not perfect, but it's not for lack of trying.

 

I work HARD at homeschooling. I used to have a job that I was excellent at (my boss always gave me glowing reviews and raises--because I worked my tail off), and now that I don't have that outside job, I pour all those energies to succeed into homeschooling. I guess I'm just driven.

 

ETA: Oh wait! My house doesn't get cleaned as often as it should! I don't slack on hs at all, but in regards to cleaning: I slack.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Garga

[Frontier Mom]

Not a slacker but not a glowing example either. I'm a plugger. One of my mottoes is "slow and steady wins the race". This is one of the reasons we homeschool year around.

 

That's me too!:)

[Beth in Central TX]

I'm not a slacker when it comes to my boys' education, but I do slack off in regards to my own self-education. I feel like I have so much to learn, but I find myself wasting time rather than working on it a little each day.

[2cents]

No slacker here. I'm very organized and OCD about our schedule so we get things done.

 

Now if you ask me about our diet then I'm a complete and utter slacker and we eat irregularly and the diet needs drastic improvement.

[Tree House Academy]

I am very disciplined in some areas of homeschooling. For instance, when I set my mind to getting through a period of time with no breaks, we get through it. However, that doesn't mean we don't have days, during that time, where it is 10am, I am still on the computer, the chores are not done, and we are just starting to think about starting school. It happens. LOL

 

My dh sometimes wonders why, if I am home all day, do I not have a spotless house, school done and planned for the next day, all errands ran, and so on. In all reality, homeschooling is a juggling act. Between kids activities, challenges and struggles with their learning, and even their overall attitudes some days - it is like a Cracker Jack box (what surprise will I find inside today?).

 

Like everyone else, I have my strengths. I am great in English, and my kids are working at or above grade level in most areas. However, I struggle with the fact that my older son needs remediation in his reading beause of his time in PS learning to read by sight. He IS behind on English instruction (a grade level below) and vocabulary/reading are taking a HIT because of the bad instruction early on. I keep having to stop him and go back to hit a bit more phonics. It is frustrating, but we are making progress - slow and steady progress.

 

So..yeah...the life of a homeschooler. Where is Fergie to sing Glamorous when we need her?

[msjones]

If I hold up TWTM as the ideal standard of what to get through each day....I'm a slacker.

But we dont take days off very often. We plod along consistently with a steady routine.

 

This describes us, as well. We don't skip core subjects very often, but I'm no TWTM-er. No Latin, plenty of 'drivelly' books lying around, and very little memorization.

[Plucky]

I do have weak areas or areas that I didn't get to or was frustrated. I'm not perfect. I outsourced those subjects, art, music, writing. I found that in writing my kids do sometimes need help and I provide it. So outsourcing doesn't necessarily mean I am hands-off. But it does give me the structure and guidance I need to make it happen.

 

I refuse to define myself so harshly by either term. I'm a good mom doing my best to raise and homeschool my kids. That is enough.

[TXMary2]

Overall I think I lean towards overplanning so that when I am slacking something still gets done. :D I call it the "Shoot for the moon and if you miss it you will land among the stars" philosophy.

[Daisy]

Overall I think I lean towards overplanning so that when I am slacking something still gets done. :D I call it the "Shoot for the moon and if you miss it you will land among the stars" philosophy.

 

:iagree: This is more me. I'm not a slacker.

 

I think the question is kinda loaded though. Slacker or glowing prowess? LOL. I doubt many of us really fit into either category.

 

Those extremes do exist. I have seen slacker homeschoolers with 15yos who cannot read and play video games all day. I have seen children being taught by an older sibling who only liked math so that is all they ever learned. I have seen glowing prowess homeschoolers who I wish I could imitate, who inspire me to work harder.

 

However, the vast majority of us on this board probably find ourselves somewhere in between.

[lovemykids]

I'm dreadful at arts and crafts. The most I do is to have lots of materials around, and a curriculum for the one who is interested to follow. I do tell him: now it's art time. I do help him if he gets stuck. But I'm sure my lack of enthusiasm is very clear. We do go to art galleries and cycle through art appreciation. It's just doing the stuff I can't bear.

 

Laura

 

I don’t like doing crafts that much either, I’d much rather do science experiments. I am so glad that I have creative children, they do plenty of their own arts and crafts, and I just supply the materials. Today, my mother is coming over to knit with them.

 

(Slacker crafty mom here.) Otherwise, I am a slave driver, uh, I mean, dedicated teacher. ;) (I turn into a slight slacker when the weather gets nice) :D

 

 

I like to do art, but we don't do it as much as we should. (like an actual class)

We also need to actually do Spanish more often!! :glare: Latin starts next year; I hope I can rise to the challenge.

Edited January 15, 2010 by lovemykids