My something good this week is summer school. I know... most people dread the thought. But, being a newly certified teacher who is not going to be able to work next year due to illness, I had to find SOMETHING to keep my passion fulfilled. My poor girls!
Seriously, though, we are doing an hour a day of summer school here at home. My girls are actually enjoying it, and I am getting to fulfill my need for being an educational leader. I grabbed some summer bridge workbooks from the education supply store, and a couple of other workbooks in areas I knew the girls needed help with. Every day I put together a lesson plan of what we are going to cover for the next day. We work for an hour each afternoon. If we finish early, we play a board game together. If we are not done with what I had planned, we simply put it away to work on the next day.
It has been really neat seeing the strengths of each of my girls. I knew where the holes were that needed to be covered, but it's been great to see which areas the girls have down without even thinking about it. I hope we all continue to enjoy summer school for the next eight weeks, but even if we don't, it's been fun while it lasted. Today I am celebrating spending time with my daughters, keeping all of us occupied and feeling like we are not wasting our days away.
9 comments:
I am sorry to hear you won't be able to teach next year but this sounds like a great way to spend the summer.
Thank you dogsmom.
Sounds just like what I want my son's vacation to be :-) They do need to stay sharp and yes, it gives a sense of accomplishment all around. Good for your girls that you can actually teach them as a teacher and not only as 'mom'. You probably have a way of handling them. I work very hard at not losing it with my son. He can be fidgety. Good stuff Karen!
Summer school?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! You're mean!!!! ;-)
Anne, it's really hard to work with your own kids, I think, no matter how good a teacher you are. The key is discipline and fun. I know, that sounds opposite, but it's all about balance. I do use my teaching experience to help, though. For example, yesterday my oldest daughter was doing a writing assignment. I made sure to look up the state standards so I could decide exactly what I wanted her to focus on. Although I enjoy teaching them, don't think that I don't "lose it" sometimes with them. Those days we just put everything away and start again the next day.
Mira, we've always KNOWN that I am mean! LOL
Maybe I need to do that. Put things away when it all gets out of hand. Maybe I'll start with an hour initially. I have to learn to strike a balance somehow. Thanks for the tip. Will look up the state standards too.
Anne, how old is your son? I can give you some more tips if you would like them. Send me an email at nerakg1974@gmail.com if you would rather not say his age here. I would love to help you get going so summer learning is fun for both of you. I have all sorts of material I could email you, depending on your son's grade level.
I think it is a great idea! Especially if your kids are enjoying it. An hour a day isn't much, and it will keep their minds sharp over the summer.
It's amazing how fast the hour goes by. Today they are doing science and math, making zucchini bread with my mom.
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