Patience, Pressure and Pokemon

These guys are so darned cute, and I just love them to pieces. I love that I am able to teach them at home in a safe environment where learning is the primary objective and having fun while doing it is the second! (Hello, chocolate igneous rock formation . . . ) However, I have noticed recently that I am losing my patience with them really quickly, and I want my behavior to stop.

As much as I want them to sit absolutely still and pay attention to the fabulous lessons (and believe me, this K12 curriculum has some fabulous lessons -- "Let's create a Cezanne painting!" "Let's learn about the Byzantine Empire!" "Wait, should we be reducing fractions in second grade? Why not!"), I need to remember that they are seven years old. They are not even eight yet, and they have the right and the need to squirm and move around and march in place and look off into the distance, even when they are enjoying the material.

The bottom line is that we have the luxury of letting squirms happen! Now that we have caught up with the rest of the students (We started the school year in December and had to do an entire semester in two months), there is no need for any more pressure. So why am I constantly barking at them to watch the screen, watch me, pay attention, etc. when they falter for a minute? I am even resorting to ultimatums almost out of the gate: "If you don't pay attention and focus, then I am taking 15 minutes off video game time today." Sheesh! I am not operating with any sort of positive motivation, and I am resorting to the reactive parenting I don't like. I am getting the desired behavior in my "class," but only because they are scared of me or scared they're going to lose out on doing something they enjoy. This is exactly why I took them out of their old school: to get them away from teachers who sought to punish them instead of teach them. I also don't like using fear as a motivator.

I also realized that we cram a lot of learning into a little bit of time. We jump from one lesson or subject to another with very few breaks in between. We're done with school in three hours because these boys can do that. However, Grace, who could also get through all her subjects in three hours or less, has six hours to get her work done, leaving plenty of time for staring out the window, drawing comic books, and humming the Pokemon theme song in her head. And while I don't like that Grace has an awful lot of free time on her hands (she has drawn A LOT of comic books over the past three years), I can see the value in being able to sit and think randomly after your work is done. That's a skill -- a valuable one -- that helps you release the pressure of the day. The boys get no down time during the day to just think or ponder or envision new Pokemon creations (although Sean might just do this as a matter of course).

Homeschooling is a new endeavor, but I need to make this experience fun for all of us and remind myself daily that patience is the key as is good planning and a little down time mixed into the lessons. They need to squirm and move and stare into space. It's okay. It's what kids do. Even those at home in their pajamas.