Growing Pains

The school year is coming to an end.  Which may seem a strange thing for a (mostly) home-schooler to say, but here we participate in a charter school program that meets for classes two days a week.  I know some would not consider us home-schoolers.  I would argue with them about that, but that is another post.  This post is about the end of school.

Honestly, my children checked out of school a couple of weeks ago. They worked on finishing projects, such as their science fair project for their aforementioned charter school classes.  They randomly complete some math, or Latin, or reading, but rarely on the same day.  They play on their computers, specifically Minecraft, a lot.  I'm not happy with this schedule, but I am accepting it for now.

It's been a long school season for us.  One in which I feel like I have been beating my head against the concrete walls that are my children.  Eeyore is 13, and like all 13 year old girls she is on a roller-coaster ride of hormones and emotions.  One moment she's busily working on algebra, pleased with her efforts.  The next moment she is raging, throwing her notebook across the room and declaring herself the stupidest girl on earth.  Her perfectionist qualities do not allow her to see one little mistake as okay, all mistakes equal failure.  This has made it a tough year both in her learning work, and in her gymnastics.

Tigger, as a 10 year old boy, just can't seem to control himself for more than 5 seconds at a time.   He will glance at his Latin work, then walk outside to play around the pool.  When I call him back, he says he does not understand the work - or some other excuse.  Occasionally he does not even have an excuse!  I have found myself thinking that his preschool teacher who wanted him labeled ADHD might have been right.  However, when I talk with his class teachers they tell me what a great year he has had this year.  How hard he works.  How he concentrates.

So, I am calling all of this growing pains.  Maybe we have not learned all the academics that we should have or could have learned, but I believe we all learned about ourselves, about our needs and desires, our motivations and interest.    As I look back over the school year, our Annus Horribilis to quote the Queen, I comfort myself with the things I have learned about my children.  How they overcome struggles, the ways they have handled fear or defeat or difficult situations, the strides they have made into growing into independent people.

And, when we get back from our vacation, we will be doing school work all summer to catch up before next year starts.