Grade 4, Spring Term, Beowulf Week 3, Day 2 ~ Frustration

Sometimes the hardest thing about homeschooling is remembering that when the boys are having difficulty it means that we need to fix something. It is so easy for me to get into the mindset of I already taught you that. More than once. What's the problem?

Of course, there is a problem, or more than one. Sometimes the problem is that I forget that there is a long road between practice and mastery. Sometimes I have changed the format of the lesson slightly. Sometimes I over-estimate how much the boys can do at one sitting.

Sometimes it is all of these things.

Not quite recalling the order of steps in long multiplication. Switching from working on graph/grid paper to a more traditional worksheet. One that had too many problems and not enough room to work the problems.

Sigh.

We homeschool to be together, to learn in a relaxed manner, and to tailor the philosophy and methods to the child. We homeschool for freedom and for fun. We homeschool so that our children are not subjected to a one-size fits all education.

Sometimes I forget that. I focus on the little goals and fight little battles and start losing perspective and the war.

All I can say is, problems noted. Steps are being taken to remedy the situation. I'm sorry.

Lesson work today: long multiplication, pronouns, multiplication table drill, Beowulf, drawing, free reading, assigned reading, American history, science. Oh, and a hefty lesson on why we do this and how I can be the one who gets in the way of it.