06/12/2012

1.  It was the first day of our summer piano lesson schedule.  It really makes it feel like summer!  Too bad we have 3 more days of school.  :-)  After piano, I commiserated with another mom, who was dropping her kids off for lessons after ours, about the challenges of keeping to a schedule during the summer.  I am really, truly, for reals committed to doing it this summer.  I mean it!

2.  I wish I knew what to do to help Joseph with math.  He completely defeats himself.  He is good at math.  He knows how to do the problems, and he doesn't have any trouble actually carrying out calculations.  But he'll decide something is too hard, and just sit there and moan and cry and refuse to let me help him.  So, of course, an assignment that should take 20 minutes, takes an hour.  Or more.  No wonder he hates math.  He's been doing this since he was 7 years old!  How can I help him to stop?  He completely does this to himself.  He'll sit there and whine, saying, "What's 24 plus 24?  Come on, tell me!  What's 24 plus 24!"  Of course, he knows very well what 24 plus 24 is.  Why does he do that?  Or he'll insist on trying to do some complicated problem in his head, which would be so much easier and much faster if he would just write the numbers down and do the problem the regular way!  If he would just decide not to whine, but to work his way through the problems, come to me if he is confused, listen to what I have to say, LOOK at the paper as I'm showing him something, he would have no problem completing his assignments, and I feel quite sure, would enjoy it a lot more.  Joseph doesn't like being told what to do (understatement).  With his other assignments, there is more flexibility.  He can answer questions the way he wants to.  He and I can adjust assignments to better fit him.  But with math, there is only one way to do the problems he's working on.  There are rules in math that he just has to follow.  I think this is why he resists so much.  There's no way to make the problems "his," and there's no flexibility with the answers.  How can I help him?  I never had trouble like this with math.  I never loved math, but I could always make myself sit down and buckle down and get it done.  And Ben always liked math, so he doesn't get it, either.  Joseph is nearly 11 years old.  He should be old enough to figure this out by himself, and decide not to torture himself.  I hope it happens soon, because another school year of fighting with him over math doesn't sound like too much fun.

3.  Mosey has been obsessed with "Old MacDonald" recently.  He sings the song to himself all the time.  Sometimes at very high volumes.  And he's started using "Old MacDonald!" as an expletive.  He drops something on the floor: "Old MacDonald!"  I tell him it really is time for him to do his piano practicing: "OK, fine!  Old MacDonald!"  It is pretty amusing.  :-)