Postby fairfarmhand » Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:27 pm
Ok, lady, I know exactly how you feel. We have days (weeks, months???) exactly like that at my house too! I know you feel so much like a failure, that they might do better without you, etc. We had a very difficult period at my house last fall. Sometimes you just have to hang in there. You said you have a 7 year old, so that is going to be hard. They will struggle with independent learning at that age. My 8 yr. old just now began reading very much in the last couple month, so prior to that there had to be tons of "hand holding" to get her work done.
Here were some of my survival strategies. If I can get the kitchen cleaned up very well, one load of laundry in the washer and the kitchen table cleared off the night before, it makes my morning go much smoother. When I am not running around trying to pick up and straighten, I can pick the school books up right after breakfast and it mentally helps me. Your daughter is probably not wanting to sit down and do school when the littles are running around having fun, so that might be one reason she is so distracted. I would have the Kindergartener sit down and do a little book work when the oldest is working too. Even if it's just a coloring page your oldest will feel better if she is not the only one who has to work on school.
If your TV is far enough away to not be a distraction, I would use that to help with the littles. I put a Blue's clues in for my 2 yr old most mornings. It lasts about an hour, so we hit the books hard in that hour. You daughter may also need frequent breaks to keep from wearing out. If school is hard for her then her brain may get tired quicker. So work on math for 30 minutes, Reading for 10 minutes and so on and I'd tell her if she works really hard and does her best, she will get a break and a snack (apple, banana, something healthy) for about 30 minutes. Repeat this cycle a few times during the morning (ok, maybe not the snack, but the break) During the breaks, it might be a great time to read some story books to ALL the kids. They are all small enough that they can enjoy some of the same stories.
I had to begin to think of homeschooling as my part-time job. If I had an outside job, nobody would be surprised that the house was messy, so I had to look at it like that. If the house is messy and we still got school done, so what? We still had a good day.
Don't worry about your 3 yr old yet. I'd just concentrate on the older two. It will be a few years before formal learning is important anyway, just talk to him, tell him what shape things are and talk about colors and stuff. That's all he needs right now anyway.
The dyslexia? Well, I was really concerned about my #2 child, but she eventually learned to read. I think she was just a slow developer. Now that the "light bulb" has come on in her head, I really don't think that was the issue. But you may want to mention to your pediatrician your concerns and he may know what to do. I know you are concerned about the "labeling" thing, but there may be some strategies that you can use to help her learn things more easily. Many, many kids struggle with reading up through the third grade. That is completely normal.
I know you know this, but try not to yell at them. Keeping your cool is much more effective. The best book I read was "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Kevin Leman. It was so helpful in getting my kids to behave.
I hope this was helpful to you. These are the hardest years, when you are just getting started and have a houseful of toddlers. If you can survive this, you can survive anything. You are not alone. I have been in tears over homeschooling more than I can count. Hang in there. Each year you will feel a little more confident and capable . Some years are going to be hard and some are easier.
Been doing this for 7 years. 4 kids; 12yrs, 8yrs, 4yrs, and 2yrs