It wasn't an easy choice.
For background I have three children all two years apart, the artist (12) struggled with reading and in lots of ways lost confidence, the engineer (10) struggled with school and the youngest 8 is a get on and do it seriously independent learner.
The pluses of keeping them together are
- Its easier on me - only one period to research and think about, one set of books to pre-read.
- Much easier to just pick books up as read alouds and go for it,
- easier selecting family read alouds,
- and the kids can play with each other acting out scenes from battles, or events in history.
- and Great discussions with the kids.
- More flexibility to make it a family thing, and include field trips etc into learning.
The pluses of keeping them separate,
- It eliminates competition, and trying to live up to other children's expectations.
- It lets me allow my artistic daughter to delve into art more while my engineer gets into the inner workings of a matchlock rifle or ship.
- The youngest doesn't always feel like they are behind - and homeschooling they don't necessarily get that 2 years older means I can do more than you.
- If one child has a bad week, or month everyone doesn't stall.
But the main reason is probably my youngest - was seeing my very bright 8 yr old (he's up to the third year of Elementary Greek and half way through LC II tell me that he feels stupid.) Part of that is his strong will coming out and that he wants to be the leader in the family, but part of that is that he can see each day that his older siblings draw better, and write deeper. On separate tracks he is so much happier and relaxed and his work is more about what he is learning. He stops trying to achieve and starts relating to what we are learning
It takes the pressure off my engineer as well - he isn't being pushed to keep ahead of my youngest and feeling a failure - because being in the middle he gets that their is a difference in two years and he should be ahead of his brother.
There are other reasons and I would love to hear where others have got to as I am still a little undecided. Or rather a little sad that the afternoons crashed out on the couch as a family with a good book are ending.
2 comments:
Been there. Mine split off from the group as they got older, too. Eventually I worked with each one individually, correcting their work, reviewing the assignments, doing the coursework that they needed to do with me each day. I learned to enjoy the 1-on-1 time with each child, and I still read out loud to them as they ate lunch. In some way it freed up my day--a couple hours with the youngest, an hour with the middle child, and whatever time the older one needed.
Now I'm down to almost no time doing school--the majority of it is in preparation, trying to keep up with literature and composition assignments. Oldest in college, 2nd a senior and mostly independent, and my 3rd, too, has always been my hard worker who got his work done for me.
It feels good to be able to get something done around the house without having to squeeze it out between midnight and 6:00a.m. LOL! But I'm also growing older and slower (hate to admit it, but I just don't have in my 50's what I had in my 20's!).
Time with each child can be a good thing. It builds your relationships at a time that they are needing it.
:) Jean
Thanks Jean,
I have no idea why I feel so torn on this one, I've been around the block with it weekly if not daily.
Each day I seem to settle on keeping them separate and in different time periods/branches of their studies. It's good to here an affirmative voice.
Valda
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