Wanting School
Nicole LoBue
Thanks for all your input. We did just join a Unitarian
Universalist "church" a couple of weeks ago and today she had her
first "Sunday School" where they will be learning about all the
religions of the world. She enjoyed it and I'm hoping that this
classroom environment will be all she needs.
Lauren is very different from me. I'm a very unstructured soul,
perhaps because my childhood took place in an overly structured
environment. When we're in a hurry, I have to stop Lauren from
cleaning her room and making her bed. Her shoes are all perfectly
positioned in her closet and there is NEVER a mess on the floor. She
even begs me for a bed time. I tell her she can go to bed whenever
she wants, but she won't go without her sister who does not want a
bed time. Sounds like she's dying for some kind of structure which
is very difficult for me.
So the next question is: When a child seems to want structure but
then rejects it, what do you do? She's asking for homeschooling
lessons from her reading workbook (her idea, not mine), but then when
I suggest doing it for a half hour in the mornings, she's never in
the mood. I work at night and their father doesn't really
participate. Any suggestions?
Nicole
Universalist "church" a couple of weeks ago and today she had her
first "Sunday School" where they will be learning about all the
religions of the world. She enjoyed it and I'm hoping that this
classroom environment will be all she needs.
Lauren is very different from me. I'm a very unstructured soul,
perhaps because my childhood took place in an overly structured
environment. When we're in a hurry, I have to stop Lauren from
cleaning her room and making her bed. Her shoes are all perfectly
positioned in her closet and there is NEVER a mess on the floor. She
even begs me for a bed time. I tell her she can go to bed whenever
she wants, but she won't go without her sister who does not want a
bed time. Sounds like she's dying for some kind of structure which
is very difficult for me.
So the next question is: When a child seems to want structure but
then rejects it, what do you do? She's asking for homeschooling
lessons from her reading workbook (her idea, not mine), but then when
I suggest doing it for a half hour in the mornings, she's never in
the mood. I work at night and their father doesn't really
participate. Any suggestions?
Nicole
Sandra Dodd
-=
So the next question is: When a child seems to want structure but
then rejects it, what do you do? -=-
Help her make schedules and set alarms if she wants, but don't
enforce it on her. That's what I would do.
Maybe let her set the time in advance, instead of asking her, and
then if she says she's not in the mood, let it go.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
So the next question is: When a child seems to want structure but
then rejects it, what do you do? -=-
Help her make schedules and set alarms if she wants, but don't
enforce it on her. That's what I would do.
Maybe let her set the time in advance, instead of asking her, and
then if she says she's not in the mood, let it go.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pamela Sorooshian
I'd say help her make up her own schedule. Don't agree to enforce it,
although she might ask you to remind her and that seems okay to me.
I'd even agree to sort of play teacher a little, if she wanted that,
but I would be very very very easygoing about it - take her lead
entirely. So, if she says, "I want you to give me spelling lessons,"
you can say, "Okay, what words do you want to spell?" And then ask
her, "How do you want the lessons to be done?"
This isn't any different from how I played with my girls, anyway.
When we played "dollhouse," they would usually tell me, "Okay, mom,
you have this one and take her there and dress her in this and make
her say that.....".
And, when you get a chance, talk about natural learning a little.
Help her understand real learning as different than being taught.
-pam
although she might ask you to remind her and that seems okay to me.
I'd even agree to sort of play teacher a little, if she wanted that,
but I would be very very very easygoing about it - take her lead
entirely. So, if she says, "I want you to give me spelling lessons,"
you can say, "Okay, what words do you want to spell?" And then ask
her, "How do you want the lessons to be done?"
This isn't any different from how I played with my girls, anyway.
When we played "dollhouse," they would usually tell me, "Okay, mom,
you have this one and take her there and dress her in this and make
her say that.....".
And, when you get a chance, talk about natural learning a little.
Help her understand real learning as different than being taught.
-pam
On Sep 16, 2007, at 5:14 PM, Nicole LoBue wrote:
>
> So the next question is: When a child seems to want structure but
> then rejects it, what do you do?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pamela Sorooshian
On Sep 16, 2007, at 5:39 PM, Sandra Dodd wrote:
It isn't uncommon for little girls, especially, to sort of want to
play school. They want to figure out what they are missing and they
live in a culture that really acts, on the surface, like it values
school so much, it makes sense that they'd want to act it out. That
IS how kids process things, very often.
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> Help her make schedules and set alarms if she wants, but don'tReally - I said that, too, before reading what Sandra wrote.
> enforce it on her. That's what I would do.
It isn't uncommon for little girls, especially, to sort of want to
play school. They want to figure out what they are missing and they
live in a culture that really acts, on the surface, like it values
school so much, it makes sense that they'd want to act it out. That
IS how kids process things, very often.
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]