Learning Notes

Who knows what the date is. It's November, right? We did a whole week of school. There was tons of whining and arguing and laziness. Midway through the week wondered if I should try to enumerate to myself all of whatever we had done, rather all that we had not done. This did help for a day or so, but then on Friday I and everyone returned to the fractiousness of earlier.

So, what did we do?

-We learned how to properly clean up at the end of the day. Every day. Started every single day in a clean ordered school room.

-Romulus finally got into his science and history, which I had forgotten to order, and began to grasp the terrible idea that he has to do both every day.

-We did math every day–life of fred, all together, everyone needs the review and Gladys is keeping up just fine. Now Khan is an extra instead of a staple.

-We did spelling every day. Gladys had big attitude problems coming up against the idea that she has to learn to spell, she can't just know, she's not perfect, that's ok, she needs to stop competing against others and try to win against herself. Really a hard battle for both of us but I think we both won.

-Elphine saw clearly, for real, how her laziness is allowing Alouicious to overtake her in every subject. She should be ahead of him, by grade level, but she's not working hard. She had thought, in her own mind, that she would be done with most of this year's school work by December and start the next level in January, but apparently she thought the work would magically do itself and so she's been making little signs that say 'Dragon Loon' in red and black and not anything else. Lectured her for quite a while and found her, later, plowing ahead in history.

-Administered a science test. Alouicious did well. Elphine got a C. Lectured her again. Gave her the test and told her to look up every single question. Found the test shoved in a drawer. Lectured her again.

-Did a Latin lesson, thank God, and French, and another writing lesson. Going really slowly in writing. Praying a lot. Trying not to be discouraged by how ponderously everything clicks.

-Read the bible every day. Prayed together. Recited Isaiah 55. Sang the hymn Jesus Lover of my Soul. Kept at the memorizing of limericks. Reviewed French vocabulary. Read a chapter every day of the Tanglewood Secret. Seeing now that we are near the end that one of the characters is going to die. Trying not to despair in advance.

-Had a couple of evening stories: Winnie the Pooh, The Awkward Ardvark. Did remember to read to the little girls two whole times.

So, that's lots, right? One more long week before our thanksgiving break. Then three weeks of work before Christmas. Need to budget some December time for present making and fun of some kind, like ice skating, maybe.