School days and simply being a boy…

I am so delighted that our school work is going so well this year.  I think it has to do a lot with simplifying.  I have made a schedule, yet am flexible if life gets in the way.  Another thing I have done is make sure I am set up for the next day, as soon as we are finished with our work each day. This way I am not feeling stressed in the evening to get it set up.  This past Friday, I set everything up for this coming week, so that has been a huge stress reliever.

Working with each child individually has been our biggest blessing.  They know that they each get me for a set amount of time, and it is great.  I can’t say enough about how well this is working with John (5).  He has always been “challenging”…he is a bundle of energy, to say the least.  Yet, when he has me for that time alone, it is like a miracle.  He sits so nicely, is so focused on his work, and he really works hard.  I am careful to pay attention to the cues that he is getting tired or overworked, and we quickly change gears….take a small break, play a fun game, or even hold off on some work until the next day.  There is no rush, as long as he is learning, and even more importantly…still loving to learn.  

I am cherishing this time alone with him.  And I think it is so good for him an answer to prayer.  The reason I think that he does so well during this time is that he gets me all to himself for once.  John is truly a middle child…the middle boy as well.  So it is hard for him to find his place, and that coupled with a bouncing and high energy personality, makes him feel the need to use that for attention sometimes.  He sees he gets attention for it, so he pushes it more and more.  These times alone with him are truly a  treasure.  And he is so bright.  I am really proud of how much he remembers and how hard he works.  Thank you Lord for giving me this gift this year.  

This is why I love homeschool.  I think in a school setting of a large group, John would continue to use that high energy to get attention, and would definitely have a hard time sitting still all day in a classroom.  Then he would get labeled as one of “those” kids.  Here at home, there is a time for learning, he gets individual attention, and then he also has time to get outside or do activities that allow for him to run, jump, and explore…to simply be…a boy.