If I never teach....

[BlsdMama]

What?  You'd be thrilled.

[BlsdMama]

The younger girls are on a sewing kick. I admit that I don't love to teach sewing.  I used to LOVE to sew.  I attempted to even teach a couple girls.  

And I'm certain I'll talk myself into embracing it and then be SO glad I sat down with them.

But right now?  I really want to drink my coffee and be a vegetable rather than creating a loving, engaging experience teaching them a lifelong skill and doing bonding.

I'll have a better attitude soon.  I think I'm just jaded.  They are as cute as can be - all sitting on the floor sorting through scraps and planning a doll quilt for Cate.  But, I suspect, and would love to be proven wrong, that this will end up in a jumble of fabric, a half done project, a sad Catie, and a jammed sewing machine.  LOL. 

But, gonna do it anyway.  Perseverance builds character, right?

[fairfarmhand]

Grammar. 

 

My youngest has no aptitude for it and and I am so sick of teaching him grammar. It just doesn’t stick. Because he does not care.

at all.

[fairfarmhand]

Just now, BlsdMama said:

The younger girls are on a sewing kick. I admit that I don't love to teach sewing.  I used to LOVE to sew.  I attempted to even teach a couple girls.  

And I'm certain I'll talk myself into embracing it and then be SO glad I sat down with them.

But right now?  I really want to drink my coffee and be a vegetable rather than creating a loving, engaging experience teaching them a lifelong skill and doing bonding.

I'll have a better attitude soon.  I think I'm just jaded.  They are as cute as can be - all sitting on the floor sorting through scraps and planning a doll quilt for Cate.  But, I suspect, and would love to be proven wrong, that this will end up in a jumble of fabric, a half done project, a sad Catie, and a jammed sewing machine.  LOL. 

But, gonna do it anyway.  Perseverance builds character, right?

Oh, I don’t teach sewing either. Just. No.

i love sewing. But I hate teaching it.

[Carol in Cal.]

Spelling to a non-natural speller who hates the very idea of learning spelling and thinks it is dumb.

[Garga]

Reading.  Some kids learn easily.  And some surely don’t.  Mine didn’t.  It was horrible and I’d be the one in tears hiding in the bathroom at the end of the lessons from the pure frustration of it.  

And I’m really hating teaching driving right now to a son who has anxiety over it.  Sometimes we’re done a lesson and I feel completely raw.  I go in the house and have to hide in the bathroom again to collect myself.  I won’t go into it too much here because I don’t want to derail the thread, but I just hate teaching driving to someone who is working through anxiety about driving.  It’s hard for everyone involved.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Vocab.  DS14, who has an incredibly high IQ, cannot for the life of him handle any sort of vocabulary program.  He hates it.  He cannot do it.  He breaks down because it is the only thing that has ever been hard for him.  It is a nightmare.

[Another Lynn]

Definitely driving. I gave that one to Dh. 

 

[Momto6inIN]

Sounding out simple CVC words, ugh! C - A - T So so so boring. But I still l have one left that can't read, so I guess I get to do it again anyway 😉

Also driving. I clutch the arm rests and stomp my feet through the floor and can only seem to say negative things like "slow down!" and "get over!" whereas DH can be patient and positive and tell them what a nice turn they just did. I don't know how he does it.

I am very thrilled not to have to teach health to any more DS's - the menstruation and birth control topics, ugh! I don't mind having talks with them about s&x in general, but for some reason those topics were just so so so awkward! It's easier with my DD's.

[math teacher]

Elapsed time to resource students. Are you kidding me (State name)-they don't remember how to tell time to the half hour.

[HomeAgain]

Driving. 
Ds refused to listen to pertinent instruction, and then freeze and make a mess of things on his test.  By year 2 of his learner's permit and 4 tests, I asked him to please consider a different teacher.  I started dreading being in the car with him.  He finally realized he had to learn the proper way to do things and passed the last effort, but oh, I don't want to go through this again!

[Forget-Me-Not]

Geometry 

[Mabelen]

Driving. I have kids who get anxious behind the wheel. And my husband has a lot of virtues but patience is not one of them, so it’s down to me. 

[chiguirre]

Driving!!! Even with a driving school to do the actual instruction for the driver's test, the practice is nerve wracking.

Trinqueta is in the final push to getting her license and I finally am comfortable riding in the car when she's driving. After.a.year.of.practice. 

BUT, now I have to start the process with Geezle. At least we'll take the online theory lessons slow so I'll have a few months to recoup my nerve before I have to take a new driver out again to practice. Plus, I found a school near me that works with SN driving students. Driving is far, far worse than math or reading even with LDs.

[BlsdMama]

4 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Oh, I don’t teach sewing either. Just. No.

i love sewing. But I hate teaching it.

I gave her so much autonomy.
She did a TON on her own.  Then I sat down to help her piece the strips together.

And that's when my inner perfectionist kicked in.  AFTER I darn near ruined a perfect morning, I sucked it up, accepted imperfection, and we prevailed!  Morning saved (mostly) from the Monster Mom and Teaching Intentional but NOT Evil Mom did come out on top.  

[DawnM]

If I never actually have to manage a classroom again, I will be thrilled.  

[Tanaqui]

I would've been happy not to homeschool. They definitely would've been better off with good teachers in some school that wasn't a social nightmare.

Alas, that was not to be, on either front, so homeschooling was the least bad option.

[SKL]

Cooking.  I have outsourced that as much as possible!  But, I do look forward to the day when they are great cooks and I get to enjoy the results!

And I agree with grammar.  I found it interesting as a kid and didn't really have to think hard about it.  My kids just don't care, and I find myself wondering why I care if they care.  I will say that something "clicked" this year, and some things that went in one ear & out the other for too long are starting to stick.

[Pintosrock]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

If I never actually have to manage a classroom again, I will be thrilled.  

I second, third, and fourth this! I'm teaching VBS this week and teaching a large group kids is impossibly chaotic!

[Guest]

I hate to teach writing. I love writing (hence the username) but I have never had any idea how to tell someone how to write. And I have high standards for what constitutes good writing, so I always wrestle with how much to correct and not wanting it to be this devastating red x-marked disaster. Two of my three kids are not natural writers; I outsourced that bad boy for ds14 last year. (The choir sings...) 

[Farrar]

My kids are heading into the driving age relatively soon. Ugh. I really, really don't want to teach them. Dh has the right temperament. But he's a terrible driver. Like, not bad enough that I fear for my life or anything, but so many bad driving habits that I don't want my kids to have. He's so, so good at so many things. This just isn't one of them. I'm so torn.

[BakersDozen]

Medieval History - Hated it when I was in school, hate it still. Not sure why...

Biology comes in a close second.

[frogger]

Everything at once for 4 children. I love teaching but hate being spread so thin!

[Garga]

23 hours ago, Quill said:

I hate to teach writing. I love writing (hence the username) but I have never had any idea how to tell someone how to write. And I have high standards for what constitutes good writing, so I always wrestle with how much to correct and not wanting it to be this devastating red x-marked disaster. Two of my three kids are not natural writers; I outsourced that bad boy for ds14 last year. (The choir sings...) 

 

That’s me, too.  I’ve struggled for 11 years teaching the oldest about writing.  For his 12th grade year, he’s going to cyber school and I beyond thrilled that someone else will teach him writing this coming year.  It’s that constant dance between trying to help him get better vs crushing him because the writing needs work.  

23 hours ago, Pintosrock said:

I second, third, and fourth this! I'm teaching VBS this week and teaching a large group kids is impossibly chaotic!

 

I went in with bright eyes teaching the preschoolers at co-op.  Nine classes.  By the last one when we were sitting on the floor in circle time, I couldn’t get a single one of the 13 children to look at me at all (rolling around, looking around the room, talking to each other). I just sat there, put my chin in my hand, sighed, and stared at them for a few moments trying to figure out how to get them to just look at me for only a couple of minutes.  My lessons were never more than a few minutes long and it was just so much hard work to obtain and then keep their focus for even 4 or 5 minutes.  I think class sizes of 2 or 3 sound good.  😄.  

[happypamama]

Writing and biology. 

 

I'm a decent writer, but I don't like teaching it. Spelling, grammar rules, sure. But the finer points of writing and arguments and were you clear but also concise, etc.?  I hate it. It feels so subjective to me, too personal, too much of a grey area. I outsourced DD's English last year, quite happily, and she is taking a different English class with the same teacher this coming year, and I am thrilled. In fact, my rising 9th grader is taking a one semester writing class from that same instructor, and I am so relieved. 

 

I don't really enjoy science a lot, although I've learned to enjoy it much more while homeschooling, because I get to see my littles experience the natural world, and that has made it more exciting to me. Chemistry and physics I like a little because they have so much math. Biology, though, aside from human physiology, eh, it is just not interesting to me. 

 

Managing a classroom of several kiddos is hard!

[TravelingChris]

arts and crafts

And I never taught that to the kids at all.  All three have talents in these areas and developed skills without my help at all.  DS does drawing and painting-- I think he had one outside class.  DD1 had a quilting class and has made quilts.  She learned embroidery from books and youtube.  She now does more embroidery.  DD2 took sewing, crochet, and 1 art class.  She and DS now knit, though she knits a lot and she learned with books and youtube.  SHe learned photography--she has won one award so far--- all on her own too.

I didn't do crafty projects with the kids when they were young either--- library kids programs, homeschool group activities, Sunday School and VBS  covered all of that plus I had materials at home and they could do any crafts they wanted.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Younger range of kids here, so....

- Using the potty

- Tying shoes

- Basic hygiene

 

School-wise, French conjugation.  Give me grammar, you take conjugation.  Such a drag.

Handwriting is also sooooooo awful to teach.

[Momto6inIN]

59 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

- Using the potty

 

Oh crap! (pun intended)

I just had an unexpected baby at age 45 and you reminded me that I will now have to potty train someone again. I've been so focused on getting back into the groove of all the baby stage stuff that I forgot that this means I will also once again have a toddler here pretty soon! LOL

Aaaaaaaand that means I'll also get to hear the delightful sounds of, "Mom, I'm done!" coming from the bathroom several times a day 🙄

[kristin0713]

Hands-on Science.  Hate it. 

Cooking.

Art. 

Sensing a theme?  I'm thrilled with anything that has a book and limited manipulatives/supplies/mess factor.

[BusyMom5]

We are working with our first driver.  I hate it!  Some days are good, others I'm not sure I'll survive!  DH has done most of it, but now it's my turn to teach driving in a bigger town, more cars, signs, lights, directions.... it's a lot! 

I think the kid is what makes the subject fun or difficult.   

 

[frogger]

7 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Younger range of kids here, so....

- Using the potty

- Tying shoes

- Basic hygiene

 

School-wise, French conjugation.  Give me grammar, you take conjugation.  Such a drag.

Handwriting is also sooooooo awful to teach.

 

I so totally blanked that stuff out. I think there is a reason I've erased it from my memory. 😁

[lmrich]

Driving! I made DH do that anyways. Geometry online was nearly impossible. I will only teach/tutor that face to face. 

[Tanaqui]

So I'm gonna take a minute and boast that 50% of my kids potty trained themselves. One day we woke up and realized that E, all of two years old, consistently went to the bathroom and never wet herself. We went to visit my grandmother and she said "Don't you need diapers?" and we said "Oh, no, she's trained" and it was glorious.

The other one took forever. I asked my mother "When will she be done!?" and my mother said "February 21st", and gosh if she wasn't right on the money. (This story is true except I don't remember the exact date she picked. I've blocked that year largely out of my memory, because potty training, amirite?)

[Momto6inIN]

3 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

So I'm gonna take a minute and boast that 50% of my kids potty trained themselves. One day we woke up and realized that E, all of two years old, consistently went to the bathroom and never wet herself. We went to visit my grandmother and she said "Don't you need diapers?" and we said "Oh, no, she's trained" and it was glorious.

Whatever you did, package it up and send it my way!!! All my kids so far have been difficult to train, but in completely different ways, so I don't even get the benefit of using what I learned on one to help the others go faster ...

[Tanaqui]

Aiyiyi. Honestly, when I say she trained herself, that's what she did. I don't remember doing anything other than physically lifting her up when asked and reminding her to go when we left the house. (How do you train yourself to stop being the potty police, that's the real question.)

And like I said, the other one took forever and ever. We constantly were like "Hey, your friend is here, and uh she needs to potty, so let's ALL GO TOGETHER!" and once she peed in my shoe.

Not like cats. Cats train themselves AND they don't need lifting or reminding or wiping or help snapping their pants. Put out a box, they use it, every last one of them. Brought some semi-feral outdoor kittens into my home a few years ago for a short term stay until they could be fixed and rehomed and they were using the box within a day. But then, their mamas have to lick them in order to get them to poop those first few weeks, when they can't walk, so on the whole I guess humans have it better.

Edited June 27, 2019 by Tanaqui

[Momto6inIN]

7 hours ago, Paradox5 said:

Latin. I know, I know, this is a classical homeschool board. I just cannot do it. I get a panic attack even looking at Latin curriculum. Dh doesn;t care so yea me!

Anything to my 15 yr old! He is high functioning ASD (undiagnosed) and just really difficult for all the reasons.

Anything (lately) to my dd! She is 11 in a week. Need I say more?

*whispers* we don't do Latin either

DH says It's a dead language and we shouldn't waste our time on it. He feels ... pretty strongly about it LOL So I just don't dwell on that fact here on these boards 😉