By Di Kendall who believes that the most important & fulfilling “job” she has is being a mom of 2. When she isn’t being mom’s taxi, she tackles networking and design for clients. She writes a blog & for News24 Voices
When I was a kid in school, studying never came easy. I did try never the less…
Now, here I sit with a son who would rather cook than study. I would love to see him inspired to put his nose in his books; but having been in that uninspired place, I know it isn’t the easiest task.
I’ve tried different methods, brainstorming, parrot fashion, and plain old simple reading and answering questions. I’ve tried colours, creativity, anything I could possibly think of to get the learning juices flowing. He eats a balanced diet, and as recommended by our GP I have us all taking Omegas. Keen Mind was also recommended, which I bought after reading numerous studies on Bacopa. You can say that all possible avenues that I know of have been covered.
The problem stems from last year when all the wheels feel off the bus. My son had a teacher who was “not a stickler for details”. To simplify he couldn’t have been less bothered about seeing to my sons education.
Due to the stickler we are struggling. I am fighting. I feel that I am maybe fighting a losing battle. I really hope that his report card tells me otherwise.
I would love it if he would practice his maths, but he despises the class and his vivid description of the mathematics teachers “anger issues” in the classroom doesn’t help with my dilemma.
Then I thought; we keep on saying that our kids are so different today. It isn’t the same as when we were in school. So maybe we should be looking for new methods of inspiring children to study.
Instead of wracking my brains into a near coma – here I am asking begging for help.
What makes your kid tick over and get those brain cells absorbing?
I homeschool and have been for the last 8 years. My son went to school in the UK, for a few years, my daughter has never been. Both are doing well. My daughter doesn't differentiate between an online Maths game and a non educational game, she selects things based in what she feels like doing. We are documenting a year of unschooling, which is learning by following your interests, this year on http://www.365dayslearning.com As you said the world has changed. In my parents day many had guaranteed jobs, our children will need to be thinking out of the box to secure a good income when they get older. In John Lennon's mothers words I want my children to be happy and that means finding their passion. This is difficult to do when constantly being told what to do. After 6 years of homeschooling my son decided to join an American online school. In the entrance exam he got 100% for maths and 89% for English – having never been tested before. He plays off a handicap of 4 for golf at age 14. He is leaving the online school this year after averaging in the 90's because he is bored with the curriculum. Interestingly he has stayed 1.5years ahead in maths in these two years, hasn't progressed further since I handed him over, and sadly now dislikes maths. So my advice to you is to take your child out of school, back off, de-school and then see what happens – it takes a leap of faith but I have never looked back. Book to read How Children Learn by John Holt the godfather of homeschooling in the US where over 2 million children are homeschooled. One last point, before you ask the stock question, What about Socialisation? Meeting other homeschoolers, family and people in the community far out weighs that offered in the institution of schooling and it is more natural than been thrown together with same age peers, no other environment does that so it's not really a preparation for the outside world. Both my children have ample healthy friendships. Another book Hold onto my Children explains the damage of primary peer attachment sorry can't remember the author. All the best.
Although I don't home school my children myself, they are in a home school support centre. We tried model c schools as well as private schools. I have to agree with you, that a lot of teachers could actually care less whether the children are coping or mastering the work. We had a situation with my son who had a really rough start to his schooling. In Grade 1 he was in a class with 30 children, and because there were about 5 children who were "problematic" and were constantly disrupting the class, because he was a quiet child he slipped through the cracks. In grade 2 he was in the HOD junior phase's class and she was never in the class so again he slipped through the cracks. When he went to grade 3 he had a fantastic teacher who after the first 2 weeks called us in and pretty much told us he would be repeating grade 3 if we didn't address the issues. So off we went to extra maths & English, OT and many other extras to remedy the situation. He flourished in her class and made up for lost time. In grade 4 he was off school for the 1st and part of term 2 as he had contracted Hepatitis. This set us back again. I was unhappy with his grade 4 teacher as she seemed to think that I was "too easily manipulated". He is the 2nd child in a family of 4 children, there really is no time to be manipulated, any way to cut a long story short the crunch came when my eldest was in grade 7 and we had to make a decision about her high school education. We enrolled her in "the best private school" but were horrified when we went to the orientation evening for the parents. I decided there and then there really has to be an alternative. That was 5 years ago and we haven't looked back. She starts writing her final exams for matric in a few days time and she is a well adjusted, happy, flourishing 18 year old young lady. My advice to you is to investigate all your options. I come from a family of 4 as well and the school I went to was not the school for my siblings, so not all schools are for all children. There are support centres to assist with the subjects like maths & science etc that most parents feel intimidated by. Don't feel like you have no alternatives, there are solutions out there, you just need to find them. I hope you find a solution, once you have made the change I can guarantee that you will never look back and you will have a child you wants to learn. Good Luck!!!!
We've resorted to taking all the games n consoles away, until good results are obtained, he prefers us testing him and that method seems to work for now.
Hi, I run an extra lessons center in Edenglen and are currently running a study skills course for all grades. It is run by a very experienced teacher who gives the kids different techniques to use. It might be helpful. call me on 079 106 1504 thanks Nikki
send me pamphlets or email with details can give out at school
sometimes home schooling is not an option and i am fortunate enough to have found a school where my daughter is looked at as an individual and her strengths and weaknesses are taken into account. There are small growing alternative schools out there. Good luck.
HI Tracey, The home school support centre you are referring to, please can you give me more details of them