Monday, February 4, 2013

Reason Number 67 Why I Don't Home School

Monday-EVERY SINGLE WEEK, so far anyway.

Me- "Lana you have to do your homework."

Lana- "WHAT??  URRGGG!! I HATE HOMEWORK!!"

Me- "You have to do at least two pages today."

She usually has 5 or 6 pages to do each week.  She gets it on Monday and turns it in on Friday.  It works out well, so we can do it when we have time.   It's not difficult for her, she just really doesn't like to do it.

Lana- "WHY?!  I don't FEEL like doing it!"

Me- "Ok, Lana, but then you'll have to tell your teacher that."

Lana- "UGH!  FINE!  I'll DO it!  But I'm only doing TWO pages today!"

I swear we have this exact same conversation every week.  Then the next day we go through it again.  She always does it, but never without complaint.  This is only Kindergarten.  Her homework is practicing her writing, drawing and coloring.  I dread what happens when the homework gets real in a couple of years.

Then there is Sonya.  I never have any real problems with getting her to do her homework.  She usually breezes through it.  Until she gets stuck on something.  Then the world around her and everyone else crumbles to dust.

This past Wednesday:

Me- "Sonya do you still have homework left?"

Sonya- "Yeeesss....Ummmm..."

Me- "What do you have left?" Obviously it's something she doesn't want to do.

Sonya-"I have to write something, but I don't know what to wriiitttee abbbouuutt!!"

At this point, she's near tears.

Me- "Well, what did your teacher tell you to write about?"

Sonya- "A time when I was brave.  It can be a real story or made up.  And I have to write TWO PARAGRAPHS!!"

Now the tears start.

Me- "Sonya calm down.  I'm sure you can think of something to write about."

Sonya-as the world crumbles around her, "I CAN'T!  I have NO ideas."

Me- "Okay, okay.  What about when you jumped off the diving board for the first time, or you climbed the rope at gymnastics after being afraid for so long?  You were pretty brave those times.  Do you think you can write about one of those?"

Sonya- Through her tears, "I guess."

Then she goes off to her room where I hear her continue to cry for the next fifteen minutes before she actually sits down at her desk and writes.  It takes her all of about seven minutes once she actually does it, and it's a good well written story.  No reason for all the tears.  No reason except to create drama.

So for those of you out there who home school, kudos to you. I have NO idea how you deal every day all day with getting your kid to do their work.   I'm pretty sure if I did home school, I wouldn't have children left to school after about two weeks.  Maybe one.


1 comment:

cran said...

Ha ha ha. I'm with ya! My two girls have always done their homework, rarely complaining, but my son, who will be sixteen in a few days, doesn't even like to admit that he MIGHT have homework. He truly hates all things that are structured school, despite being incredibly smart. Good luck!