No Wonder The Kids Can't Do Math

We are in the height of PSSA fever. Pennsylvania System of School Assessment- PA's answer to No Child Left Behind. Our cyber charter can't go a day without reminding us that "The test is only __ days away!" Having a child that is operating above grade level generally makes me immune to their endless nagging. But this week, they got me. This week they sent me a package in the mail that sent me reeling.

The mysterious package arrived from our school Tuesday afternoon. I had to sign for this one...so I knew it was something significant. Inside I found...a calculator! ? The only other item in the envelope was a disc titled '2010 PSSA Preparation'.

I thought, "Surely 4th graders can't use calculators on the PSSAs! Surely!"

Turns out, 3rd graders are the only kids that CAN'T use them. Is it just me, or is it ridiculous to think 4th graders need a calculator to take a math test? This is not advanced math. This is addition, subtraction, multiplication and division...the fundamentals. Kids should be able to do these without assistance. Maybe this explains why we are in such a mess. If the students of PA can't make AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) with their calculators...we are in big trouble.

Considering the fact that JT has never really used a calculator, I guess I'll need to start some remedial work with him before his testing day.

Spring is in the Air

The weather here has been simply beautiful for the last week. I finally have a method to motivate the boys. They want so badly to play outside, they will do just about anything to get there. This has led me to believe that schooling through the summer might be more beneficial than winter schooling. I doubt I can win converts with that doctrine.

With the improving weather, our thoughts are turning to gardening. JT loves plants. He's always been actively involved in my flower beds. Last year, we made our first foray into vegetables. This year, we plan to expand. Today the kids were outside with paper and markers drawing up a plan for their portions of the garden. I quickly realized we are going to need to dedicate more space to this endeavor. Pumpkins, cantaloupes, beans and cucumbers on top of what I had already planned will be way too much for our little garden.

I told the boys we would need to scout out a new location. One prime spot had questionable sun exposure. The boys came up with a plan to keep a chart of how many hours this patch of yard has sun for the next few weeks. Then we can decide if it will be acceptable. JT said, "Hey mom! This can be like a science experiment!"

Good boy!

One more thing...if you follow Pioneer Woman's blog, you may have already seen the link to FreeRice.com. If not, I highly recommend it. It is a quiz site with many different subjects available. When you answer a question correctly, rice is donated to the World Food Programme. It is highly addictive and educational. When you miss a question, it is thrown back in the mix to give you a second chance. JT was able to use the knowledge he has gained studying prefixes, suffixes and word roots to do very well in the vocabulary category. It felt good to know that not only had I provided him with a tool he could use to expand his vocabulary, I had also given him the opportunity to help others with that knowledge.

Time is at a Premium

Is it so very hard to understand if I say, "When you finish your work you can go outside," that the more time you spend delaying your work, the less time you'll have outside? I don't think so, but I could be mistaken. Apparently this concept is difficult for the six and nine year old members of our household.

It was absolutely gorgeous outside today. Sunny, 65 degrees, slight breeze... perfect weather. JT had very few things on his list to accomplish. There were no compositions or brain surgery labs. A little math, a little grammar, 15 pages of science and a worksheet to go with it, and he could be on his way. FOUR hours later he finally wrapped it up and went outside. Unfortunately, we had to leave for Odyssey of the Mind practice 45 minutes later. When the moaning and whining started, I said, "If only you had done your work more quickly earlier, you would have had more time to play."

Is this a developmental milestone he may not have reached? Should I be concerned? I played with an idea for hammering it home. What about a jar with beans representing segments of time for play that slowly deplete as the time is being wasted? That just seems like it would teach him to rush through the work. I feel like I spend too much time saying 'I told you so'. I guess I'll have to brainstorm on this one. Now that the weather is nice, it will certainly be coming up more often.

The funny thing was, when they finally got out there, he gathered up his entomology 'supplies'. He took a jar, tweezers, a magnifying glass, notebook and his field guide and loaded them into a backpack. He collected several insects and wrote very detailed journal entries including sketches into his book. He did more for his education in that time than in the 4 hours I had him. Maybe today should have been focused on the great outdoors from the start. However, I know if I had suggested he do that, it never would have happened.

One more quick thing...while the boys were outside, their differences became so apparent. EM was dribbling the basketball in the driveway while JT was lying on the sidewalk writing in the notebook. EM yelled, "Are you open, are you open?!"

The entomologist made no reply.

Whose fault is it, anyway?

"These kids are driving me nuts!"

You may be surprised to know I have said this several times this week. Maybe 'said' isn't the most descriptive word I could chose.

Shrieked, yelped, bellowed?

I can't put my finger on what did it this week. The boys were less than cooperative out of the gate Monday morning. We still use our reward system where each boy has a cup of 12 stones to start the week. Usually they lose between one and five by Friday. Tuesday, EM had 4 left in his cup. JT wasn't far behind.

I knew going into it that this might be a trouble week for many reasons. JT had to complete the composition portion of his Calvert tests by Wednesday. One was a three paragraph creative writing assignment. The other was his first attempt at a book report. Fun for all! I also knew we were pretty tightly scheduled with activities for the week, so free time would be rare.

But I think I have decided that the biggest contributor to the weeping and gnashing of teeth was me. I have not been getting to bed at a reasonable time for months. When I go to bed late, I am less than motivated to get going in the morning. When I am not motivated, big surprise(!) my kids aren't motivated. Things go downhill quickly from there.

How to solve this problem?

It seems simple enough, "Go to bed earlier, stupid!" Here's the kicker...I don't want to. I want time for me. I need time for me. Often the only time I have is late at night. After the kids are in bed and the chores that get pushed aside all day are finished, I have time for me. I don't know if this problem is worse for homeschooling moms than others. I am sure that moms who go to work all day have the same time crunch. I think they might be more likely to go to bed and skip some of the me time out of necessity. Face it, if you are homeschooling you don't have to do much to pass as 'ready for the day'. Getting up and physically going to work takes a bit more preparation.

So where will I find the balance to serve my kids and my needs which in turn will serve my kids since I won't be driven to insanity?

I'll let you know when I figure it out.