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Babs
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| Posted: Jan 05 2011 at 11:57pm | IP Logged
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I have been having a difficult time keeping order in the classroom - with the students! Lately we have not been able to finish even the bare minimum of what I plan, let alone what I would like to do. It seems whenever we are working together someone is interrupting, complaining, talking when someone else is supposed to answer, needing a drink/bathroom break, forgetting their book or pencil or anything you can imagine. It is exhausting. One of my older boys is home on break and I told him about this situation and he offered to work with the boys on their Latin. I was in another room, hoping to have a little time to work on our long neglected photo albums and I could hear the same thing going on and I could hear my older son beginning to get frustrated. It took them forever to get through the lesson and by the time they were done everyone was exhausted.
I don't even want to think about finishing this year. I don't even want to go downstairs tomorrow! We are working together for a lot of our subjects this year so I have to find a way to make them cooperate with each other and with me. I think I have the work planned out pretty well and I set rules and make sure supplies are available but right away, someone starts pushing the train off the track, pretty soon it is lunch time and we have barely gotten one or two subjects completed. The day drags into evening, I don't get anything done that I need to do besides school, and the boys don't seem to care that they are missing out on all of their free time.
I know that school often hits a rough spot around Christmas break and the midway point for the year and I know my boys are, well let's say 'high energy' or 'all boy'. Anyone who knows us would be laughing about that. And whenever the older boys are home on break, the younger boys seem to think they are on break too. I need some advice for getting control back. Do I need to follow a schedule more closely? One problem is consequences are difficult for classes we are working together in because I can't just keep moving and make them finish their work later. Dragging the work into the evening isn't bothering anyone but me. Can you tell me what works for you to keep things running smoothly, especially if you have any 'difficult' students?
I feel like I should stop teaching their regular classes and just have them focus on being disciplined, perseverance, obedience, joyful attitudes, orderliness, preparedness, etc for a while. I don't think we would be much more behind than we are now.
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Mom to: ds 28 ds 22 ds 12 ds 9 and MIL  to dd 27
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 06 2011 at 6:36am | IP Logged
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Babs wrote:
I feel like I should stop teaching their regular classes and just have them focus on being disciplined, perseverance, obedience, joyful attitudes, orderliness, preparedness, etc for a while. I don't think we would be much more behind than we are now.
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I think this is what I would do Babs, especially while the older son is home on break!
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Jan 06 2011 at 11:51am | IP Logged
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Babs wrote:
I feel like I should stop teaching their regular classes and just have them focus on being disciplined, perseverance, obedience, joyful attitudes, orderliness, preparedness, etc for a while. I don't think we would be much more behind than we are now.
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Obviously these are all life-long traits that have value beyond today's subjects. I'm struggling too and my goal right now is going to be ONE read-aloud book with great vocabulary (prob. a picture book) that can be read in under 20 min., discussed a little and then on their ways. That's all I can deal with right now.
We'll prob. "talk" religion while nursing the baby (and of course there's Mass) and I'm trying to keep some educational and/or at least wholesome good videos around coming thru Netflix.
Good luck to you!
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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Erin
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| Posted: Jan 06 2011 at 2:07pm | IP Logged
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Babs
How old are your boys?
I do remember this stage, from memory I believe I had to split them up into different rooms. Even now when one starts to talk alot I isolate him. And I came up with their 'expectation lists' so the onus was on them to finish. No privileges until they did. Frustrating! I still feel as if I'm the one supplying the self-discipline.
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Erin
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Babs
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| Posted: Jan 06 2011 at 3:31pm | IP Logged
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The boys are 9 and 12. It seems like there are more of them some days but there are only two left at home. I feel like I should be able to handle this better than I am. Maybe I need to come up with something really good to motivate them (?) because as I explained, they are just fine with the situation. I want to wrap up the day and do something else.
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Mom to: ds 28 ds 22 ds 12 ds 9 and MIL to dd 27
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 07 2011 at 6:40am | IP Logged
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What about using something like workboxes? My kids do (a little!) better when they can see what they have accomplished and how much more they have to do.
We also got a new game for Christmas that I don't allow them to play until all school work and chores are complete. Erin's "expectations list" would come in handy for this.
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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Erin
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| Posted: Jan 07 2011 at 2:05pm | IP Logged
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There is your problem  
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Erin
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Jan 08 2011 at 6:25pm | IP Logged
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Maybe Charlotte Mason's principle of short lessons would be helpful here. Can you set the timer for a certain length of time (10 or 15 minutes to start) and tell them that you expect undivided attention --silence and complete focus -- for those 10 minutes? As their attention span grows the amount of time on the timer can grow. When the timer sounds they'll get a short break (maybe a couple of minutes to stretch or be silly or get water) and then they have to focus with the timer again. Sometimes kids can focus better if they know it's for a set amount of time, not "all morning." It might also help to rotate activities between things that require focus and those that are more active -- go from Latin to something like read aloud or science lab then to math. If all else fails, I could see myself resorting to bribery. If they give undivided attention for X minutes and work hard, they earn a gummy worm or cookie. (Of course they can't eat them until the end of lesson time or else the sugar intake would be counter-productive...)
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Order in the Classroom!
