His learning style appears to be "I don't like to learn
Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 2:56 pm
He is six (August) and every single day is a struggle to do anything related to learning. All he wants to do is play.
He can read at about a first grade level or slightly higher. He is fully capable.
However, all he wants to do is play and he articulates that THAT is the only thing he wants to do. He cries we are unfair if we ask him to do anything else. ???
I am not all that interested in unschooling in a radical way. We unschool enough and that is mostly our life (and certainly has been up to now) but both my husband and I feel the need to see him put effort into something so that we know he can before we can just store the school work away for another year.
I feel like it is a battle of the wills. I want to win. So does he.
I have a four year old who gets put in another room to play (well in the living room with books and puzzles and games and sometimes a little computer time) while I work with the older. The minute I leave the older child he quits doing anything and puts his pencil down. I can't sit in there with him for two hours at a time to get something done. I have another little person to consider.
My dreams of this cozy relationship of snuggling with math books is quickly becoming a stress I hate each morning. We can read for hours and hours and hours until my voice is horse. He loves to listen to stories and play nearby. I don't mind doing that but I am anxious to see his interests expand from playing with stuffed toys on the couches next to me to rocket science or something similar.
I just really want this to work out and I am very stressed it is not. He puts a mental wall up when I say lets sit down and fit a little school in this morning.
He doesn't want to go to public school. He just wants to play.
Other kids manage an entire day at school. Why can't we get two hours in over the course of a day?
I expect to get responses saying "let him play" but what I want to know is - is it normal to have such strong opposition from a capable child?
It couldn't be that he is hard headed like his mom. Truly, I want this to work and I want him to do what I ask each day without the drama. Is it just too much to expect at six? We could be done and out of the house by 10 or 11 every single day to go hike or play, ride bikes, zoo - whatever but instead we end up both of us in tears over four worksheet pages in Explode the Code (currently a two hour project with all the whining and playing around when I am not looking).
Thanks for all the constructive advice and for understanding that everyone probably wants a rocket scientist so please know that comment was made entirely in jest. I feel fragile today - I am looking for support here - even supportive "leave him alone" posts.
signed,
On the verge - Jan
He can read at about a first grade level or slightly higher. He is fully capable.
However, all he wants to do is play and he articulates that THAT is the only thing he wants to do. He cries we are unfair if we ask him to do anything else. ???
I am not all that interested in unschooling in a radical way. We unschool enough and that is mostly our life (and certainly has been up to now) but both my husband and I feel the need to see him put effort into something so that we know he can before we can just store the school work away for another year.
I feel like it is a battle of the wills. I want to win. So does he.
I have a four year old who gets put in another room to play (well in the living room with books and puzzles and games and sometimes a little computer time) while I work with the older. The minute I leave the older child he quits doing anything and puts his pencil down. I can't sit in there with him for two hours at a time to get something done. I have another little person to consider.
My dreams of this cozy relationship of snuggling with math books is quickly becoming a stress I hate each morning. We can read for hours and hours and hours until my voice is horse. He loves to listen to stories and play nearby. I don't mind doing that but I am anxious to see his interests expand from playing with stuffed toys on the couches next to me to rocket science or something similar.
I just really want this to work out and I am very stressed it is not. He puts a mental wall up when I say lets sit down and fit a little school in this morning.
He doesn't want to go to public school. He just wants to play.
Other kids manage an entire day at school. Why can't we get two hours in over the course of a day?
I expect to get responses saying "let him play" but what I want to know is - is it normal to have such strong opposition from a capable child?
It couldn't be that he is hard headed like his mom. Truly, I want this to work and I want him to do what I ask each day without the drama. Is it just too much to expect at six? We could be done and out of the house by 10 or 11 every single day to go hike or play, ride bikes, zoo - whatever but instead we end up both of us in tears over four worksheet pages in Explode the Code (currently a two hour project with all the whining and playing around when I am not looking).
Thanks for all the constructive advice and for understanding that everyone probably wants a rocket scientist so please know that comment was made entirely in jest. I feel fragile today - I am looking for support here - even supportive "leave him alone" posts.
signed,
On the verge - Jan