Blessings, Holly

Oct. 15, 2008 - Annoyed

No one really believes me when I tell people we do "not much" when it
comes to school. I suppose in some ways I'm lying, because I do try to
immerse my kids in a life of rich experiences at all times. You
unschoolers will know what I'm talkin' about. You Type A-ers will know
what I mean when I say I just can't go that direction full throttle.
I'm a tad too insecure to let go of all my schooly-ness and while I
certainly appreciate a delight driven approach, I find that bumps up
against the most empirically demonstrated fact of my faith--sin nature
(in particular, slothfulness). Two of mine might could be
unschoolers. One would be a professional gamer if let completely loose.

So, I do "not much," but I do it very consistently. The three I am
formally educating are all boys. Sitting still or sitting for any
length are not strong suits. So, we do little but I try to demand
excellence and full attention in the short bursts we do. You Charlotte
Mason fans will recognize this approach.

One routine which I've enjoyed is Tuesday Teatime. I stole this idea
from www.bravewriter.com. One need not be creative, I believe, but
merely a creative thief. Each Tuesday we sit to eat goodies and read
poems aloud. We don't really analyze them, though sometimes I might
point out a technique. We just enjoy them. Sometimes we try to write
one or two afterward "in the style of," but even that not
consistently. I just want them to love poetry. I don't know why; I'm
not even sure I love poetry, or at least not a lot of it. Maybe I am
in it for the goodies. Each boy must come with one or two selected
poems to read aloud. This receives varying degrees of thought, from
none at all to a great deal. But one kid, my 11 year old, always
writes an original poem to share.

I loved this one. He dashed it off in the 2-3 minutes before Wednesday
Wacky Words (which is what Tuesday Teatime alliterates into when we
forget or are busy). Enjoy! Blessings, Holly

Annoyed

I've got a father
I've got a mother
A little brother too.
When they annoy me,
I annoy them, I do.

I have a room
I have a broom
Mom's telling me to clean my room.
It makes me annoyed, so I annoy her too.

I'm in time out
I'm gonna pout
I'm annoyed myself; I'm gonna shout!
(I annoy myself, I do.)

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