Ooof! School has started up again...

Oh how I wish I could write a better title to this post!  I wasn't thinking of posting anything at all about school as it hasn't gone quite as smoothly as I, my husband or my children would have hoped.  However, it is a true part to the symphony we are daily composing even if it is full of discord.

I must admit that I was amongst the crowd of Schauermanns who were not quite sure they were excited for school to begin again.  I think my sentiments were topped by Jeffrey's who has loved the many hours of sunny summer play, the amazingly fun joy of playing with cousins in Alaska, the delightful fun of visitors coming here to play with him, countless lego creations, and so on.  Not to mention, he is in fifth grade and although he is fully skilled for all that fifth grade requires of him it chafes just a wee bit that he has a little more school than his little brother who is in first grade. Honestly, I wish I could keep it simpler than it is but I have already made quite a large effort to simplify the work load for this school year... remember I wasn't quite sure I was excited? :-) Oh yeah, there is also the small matter of a little wee one arriving in the middle of the school year to further prompt my search for happy, fun, simple school. :-)

Well the first day of real school arrived.  I was tired and the kids were still riding high on the wave of company that had left just days before.  I think the beginning of school felt something like a boogie board hitting a large submerged boulder.  There was just enough curiosity to tide us through the day despite the initial "shock" of having to do something inside and I was pleasantly surprised yet still a bit apprehensive about the coming days when the curiosity wouldn't be there to smooth the bumpy way.

Sure enough, day two proved to be quite rough.  If faces could be transcribed they might say, "Oh dear, do you really want me to write my name?  My whole name?  Can't I do just one math problem instead and two pages?  That one looks way too hard!  I don't even want to try!"  Meanwhile a brightly colored buoy was swinging lazily in the trees begging someone to ride it.... A small motorcycle was weeping in the garage as it looked at the long hours it would have to sit idle as it waited for school to come to a close for the day.  Oh yes, there were those chickens constantly going in and out of the coop tempting all my not-so-studious pupils to come see if there was another egg to fetch.

What was I to do?  Although we highly value the "education" the kids are receiving through the chickens, the skills they are developing on the motorcycle, and the fun they enjoy in the back yard, I still need to teach them some "not-so-exciting"skills like writing their name, math, reading, etc.  Honestly, a piece of paper cannot hold a candle to a buoy swing or a motorcycle ride, unless you are Arden who loves to color simple grey lines with a number 2 pencil. :-) It seemed almost hopeless and I was increasingly discouraged as the days passed and our supposed to be fun school quickly made a crater sized dent in my days, even etching its path into the evening hours and past bed time.

So here I sit today having finished today's school with the kids and still mulling the how-tos of teaching.  I am also mulling the how-tos of being a mom and seeking for answers to what appear to be my weak spots, maybe areas where I am not holding the line I should hold or where I am half-hearted in my own approach.  I am also mulling about children, what is motivating them and how I might be able to become at least a piece of that motivation. Do they know how far is too far or have I let the line sag too often?  How can I take some great, fun school and entice them against the odds (buoy swings and motorcycles :-) to try and find some enjoyment in it.

I was talking with Nathan this morning and asking him if he had any suggestions that might help me while, back inside, timing with the kids chores spun out of control before the nine-o-clock hour.  I have always felt a little sheepish in having the kids do too much work and have striven to make it fun while lacing each day with breaks and play. After listening to his suggestions I realized yet again that the kids might be eligible for a PhD in phycology for they have me figured out!  A little restlessness and mommy is sure she has overdone it again and they can have a break.  Although I am still a big fan of giving them opportunity to get wiggles out and have a change of pace as well as keeping school fun, I have been got!  He showed me how they have been walking on me and with his full backing encouraged me to manage my little people with a bit more gusto, to give commands and ensure that they were completed under my watchful eye (I do so love to put the watchful eye away at times as I work on another task or tend to the little wanderers who are not in school yet!) and to keep play in my back pocket until the work was done (Oh dear, but I thought they needed an outlet!).  He also encouraged me to mix the days up.  For now I need to reign in my wild and energetic, unbroken, summer herd and later I can hope to infuse the days with more fun while still keeping the reigns in my hands and the feet off my back.

Today was hard simply in towing the line Nathan encouraged me to set.  It meant all of me had to be focused and tuned into the actions of those I was teaching.  I noticed things I have suspected but never seen for sure before.  If I set two to a task they could accomplish on their own and turned my attention to the one I was assisting then looked back quickly, I noticed there was a whole audience either watching me or the world outside their window but certainly not doing the simple task they had just been given.  Sure, this can look like a tiny little problem, after all maybe they are thinking about the work they are doing while they stare aimless about them, but for me it was ever growing into a mountain I couldn't climb. This may have been just a toe walking over my authority but those toes do add up!!!  I also worked on setting time limits for one of my students in particular.  That meant learning the importance of a buzzer when Mommy says, "Go!".  I took for granted that kids liked to beat the buzzer and was shocked when I had to actually teach the joy of buzzer beating by giving somewhat of a race course that could be beat then repeating the race until the runner hit the finish line before the buzzer rang.  Go figure!

I think the other big factor in my difficulty with school this year has been my own hesitance to set a line and joyfully (that would be on my part) expect the kids to stay within it.  I have always seen myself as the un-fun one, the boring adult, the one who doesn't like the things kids find great delight in.  I have seen that as a negative feature that couldn't possibly bear any good and, therefore, constantly tried to exert myself just a little more... and a little more... and a little more... until SNAP!  As I already mentioned, this came into play big time in my sheepishness in assigning "too much work".  Talk about being half-hearted and weak in the eyes of the self awarded PhDs!!!

So, all that said, here goes the rest of the school year!  "Every day is new with no mistakes in it... yet" (Anne of Green Gables), right? And God has already promised me the strength I will need for what comes tomorrow. I know I will have to tow the tight line a few more days (maybe weeks) at least and hopefully I will gain confidence and gusto as I smile my way right through the giving of assignments without inwardly apologizing in case they are too big.  And here is to hoping that we can find the line at which we capture and delight in the fun of school right alongside the fun of play while also walking in diligence.  Easy, right!? :-)

Capturing "Wanderer 1"

Good times do come!!!