How time flies! Apparently, I have had nothing to say since MAY!
We are homeschooling now, and things are so much more relaxed. Joey is finally progressing. He is so much happier without the stress of school. It took a long time to get him to remember that learning new things can be fun. School teaches that learning is hard work. Well, that is true to some extent, our eyes and ears and brains have to work to process the information, but the actual gaining of knowledge should not be considered work! Learning should be an exciting adventure; it should be about discovering new information that we can apply to other areas of our life. We should teach our children to apply what they know. MEMORIZATION is hard work; RECALLING answers to questions on meaningless tests is hard work. Tests are the only way that a teacher in a classroom situation with 20 or so students can evaluate the children's knowledge. Did you know that the public school system was established to help the less advantaged among us prepare to get a job? Privileged people went to private schools or were tutored at home! Google "Thomas Jefferson Education" to find out more about home learning. I urge every stay-at-home mom in America to look into homeschooling! It is NOT difficult. If you don't know something that you have to teach, you get to learn about it! I am learning so much not only about all of the subjects that I am teaching, but also about my children, about myself, and about how I relate to my family. I am learning just how much I LIKE my children, what tremendous blessings they are, and how SMART they are. I don't mean book smart; I mean just plain clever! I am learning more effective ways to communicate with them, and, most importantly, I am becoming more patient with them. I can read their moods better, and I am learning that by patiently listening to THEIR side of the story, I gain insight into their minds - how they tick - if you know what I mean.
The screen is blurry now so I think I will go to sleep. More later...
