Thursday, August 27, 2009

Two weeks

When I start a new routine I want to go after it diligently for two weeks. I guess I'm hoping that being diligent for a set amount of time will deeply ingrain the new routines. I also do so with an eye on my personal characteristic of not being able to stick with something for very long. Although there were many times in the last two weeks that I thought the new routine we are trying was useless, we kept at it. I don't know if it is becoming second nature or not, but the kids are getting used to it. The main difficulty in this system is the one thing that could be most beneficial: my preparedness. Using the workboxes (drawers in our case) means I must have something in the boxes for them to do before we actually start. That is so difficult for me because I thrive on spontaneous, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, plan as I go kind of planning.
The moments that seemed most frustrating were those that Kaity balked at my assignments or requests. There's something in that girl that wants to challenge everything. And I mean everything. I'm trying to understand how to best relate with her, to find her motivators so we can stop butting heads. Because mine hurts and she seems no worse for the wear! I'm reading How They Learn by Cynthia Tobias. Very insightful, I'm praying for revelation into Kaity's learning style(s). I don't totally have Charlie pegged, but have some ideas.
Next week we mix things up and will do a week of Lapbooking. This was an idea that occurred to me today. Don't know if it is a good idea or not. I'm going to approach the week much more organized about specific lapbooking ideas and have many things prepared ahead of time for the kids. I'll try to incorporate the basic subjects in our week, just in ways that bring a breath of fresh change to our days.

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