The Magic School House


Doubting myself again


I am doing it again.  I am wondering how I could possibly be qualified to teach my children anything.  I cannot be the one who is responsible for thier education.  I just don't see it working.

There, I said it.  I am a bad homeschooler.

My son is thriving in his college Japanese class.  We sat down and registered him for fall.  He will be taking three classes this fall at the local CC and will jsut do one class at home.  One.  He hates math.  He is pretty good at it and he has always been capable of doing it, but he hates it.  I gave up trying to teach him math.  We made a deal.  He has to take and do well on the SAT IIc math test, then he is done with my math requirements for graduation.  

My middle dd is only 6 and in her K year.  She is great at math, but guess what?  She hates math.  She can add and subtract single and double digit numbers.  She can carry and borrow.  She can count by, 2, 5, 10.  She can multiply by 4.  She is learning to divide.  I still don't feel like I can teach her math.

She was constantly asking me to spell words for her so I got her a spelling program.  She didn't want to be taught to spell and proved that she didn't need to be taught by spelling all of the words from every spelling lesson in the book.

I thought she needed more reading practice so I got her some reading books at her level.  At first she enjoyed them.  Then she realized that I was trying to teach her again and she started chosing books "above" her level and reading those.

It goes on.  Maybe I can teach my littlest dd who is only 2 something someday.  Maybe I am just not good at chosing the material for my kids.  Maybe I am picking the wrong levels.  Maybe I don't understand thier learning style.  Maybe my idea of being a relaxed classical homeschooler isn't working for us.  Maybe I should be more rigid.  Maybe I should require more work from them.  Maybe textbooks are better.  Maybe unschoolers are right and kids don't need to be taught things.   Maybe I have no idea what I am doing.  Maybe they would be better off at school

Then again, maybe this is working.  Maybe my expectations are the problem.

12:02 AM - Saturday, April 21 - post comment


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A homeschool and life blog about the adventures of one mom and three kids (my ds Handsome who is 17, my dd Beautiful who is 6, and my dd SweetPea who is 2) and a wonderful husband (known here as hubby). I work full-time three days a week. Hubby works 5 days a week. I am a relaxed classical homeschooler that is making it all up as I go along.
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