Subtitled: We. Are. Burned. Out.
For all my joking about the winter weather in Minnesota, you can be assured that it is wearing on me. I never saw the movie The Shining in its entirety—for good reason—but I do recall the scene where the writer, having been cooped up in that crazy lodge for far too long a season, sits down at the typewriter and clacks out “All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy.”
If I should show up at your door with an ax, don’t answer it!
I move about the house seeking swatches of sunlight and like a cat, I rest there. I brew copious amounts of tea and wrap my hands around the mug. I look at the dirty white snow and our dirty white van and my dirty white coat and just think, yuck.
(My friend Tina warned me about buying that white jacket. Must she be always right?)
The kids don’t seem to mind the weather as much as me—there’s still a great sledding hill in our back yard, and they pull on their winter gear and pull it off again repeatedly throughout their day. It doesn’t seem to bother them and, unlike their mother, they are getting the fresh air that they need.
The effects of this long season have been turning up in the classroom, however. Our edges are sharps while our brains feel dull, and subjects that have once come easy are suddenly a source of stress for both the teacher and the student. My 8-year-old Math whiz who had previously been flying through MCP 3 with nary a hitch? Lately he finds it tiresome and a burden and far too difficult than in previous months. (The times table will do that to you, we are finding!)
At first I felt impatient. You know this stuff. Can’t you just crank it out and we’ll move on?
Big mistake. “Children are not a bucket to fill but rather, a fire to be lit.” (I don’t know the source of this quotation—ladies, can you help me out?) We’re home schoolers! We can adjust.
We have needed to tweak the curriculum a bit—add more games and go more slowly. I repeat—we have needed this.
For example. We are using this book a lot for its Math games, language games, writing exercises, and sense of fun. The ideas are easy to implement and only take a 10-minute chunk of time here and there.
So we are playing. We are playing more and trying to argue less.
And I am heartened by the results.
Spring is just around the bend. Spring is just around the bend. Spring is just around the bend.
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
PS. To all my friends in Texas, thank you. That sympathetic snowfall of yours was really very sweet.
We were just talking about this the other night, weren’t we? You warned me about February, and you were right. We are suffering from burnout too, and most days have found us with lots of books from the library because doing money with my first grader is just too stressful, for both of us. Your right, spring is right around the bend. It was almost 70 here yesterday, but it will go back into the colder temps after day. It was such a teaser, but a reminder of what is to come. Hang in there! I’ll be praying for you today. Again, I commend you for homeschooling in Minnesota. You rock!
Oh, so sweet! I love yous and M&Ms … the best combo in the world. 🙂
The quote is from the ever-wonderful Yeats: “Education is not fillig a bucket, but lighting a fire.”
Here’s hoping your newly lit fires burn away the burnout!
Thank you both!
And Karen, lest everyone think that I have completely BLOWN my diet (and my Lenten resolutions, for that matter), those are not M&Ms. They are colored glass gemstones like the kind Elizabeth uses at Serendipity for the Gnome Math lessons, and which can be found at Michael’s and other craft stores.
The kids absolutely love them.
Speaking of games… I have two filing boxes full of file folder games that I used when I taught public school. I have one for reading and one for math. I love them because they can play alone or together and they all go back in nice and tidy. Here’s a link to what I used. http://www.amazon.com/Instant-File-Folder-Games-Reading-Marilyn/dp/0439137314
And I crack up and grumble at the same time that with my 2 year old-those colored gem stones would be in every corner of the house!
I really hope that it gets warm soon! Winter has just lasted forever this year, hasn’t it? I think it’s because it got cold and started snowing so much earlier than normal.
We finally had beautiful weather on Sunday and into Monday, but then the temperature dropped and it snowed last night, and we just had tiny hail within the last hour. Augh!
Love the pebble writing! I’ll have to get some of those!
I’ve told you before how sweet your kiddos are…and I am still right! We are a bit more relaxed in our homeschooling but we get even more so on some of these gray, wintery days. Try putting out some things that the you haven’t used before and just watch the kids. They will come up with some great stories, inventions, games… I’ve put out feathers, a whole box of aluminum foil, mason jars, buttons, etc. It’s really quite fun and I figure being creative is a lesson in itself. Your kiddos are so creative already can you just imagine what they could do?
Love you!
Just the other day I was enjoying my 70 degree day, but today we have S*N*O*W. However, my girls (and myself) are rather excited about it. Tomorrow it will be all gone … 60 degree day forecasted.
I was wondering what those manipulatives you had there. If that was candy, I would surely be worried about CAVITIES :0
Spring will come … it always does!
My Lord, you have some wonderful friends, don’t you? Everyone is so lovely!
That stone/pebble artwork by your children is most heart-warming!
Thanks for reminding me to slow down and play with my kids!!
I am with you. That’s the only thing positive I can think to say, isn’t that terrible?
I know those are pebbles, but they DO look good enough to eat!
We are burnt out too. No weather excuses, just feeling *blah*. I think it’s the time of year, no matter where you live…. either that, or I am truly wimpy! (don’t answer that)
🙂
Thanks for the book recommendations, I put that one and the math one on hold at the library. We need it!
As I also wow over those beautiful beads – color vs. dirty snow. Try food coloring in water in a spray bottle and brighten up that snow – always works here!
We love those gem-stones around here! In fact at this very moment my almost 7 year old (on the 30th!) is sorting through his gem-stone “treasure”. 🙂
The grayness here has really been getting to us lately. In the Pacific NW we haven’t had any snow to make it “fun” either – just the perpetual gray clouds. On the few days we’ve had sunshine everyone brightens up and lessons have gone a lot faster – but mostly it’s just been a bit of a trial of our patience. I know it’s the time of year, but it’s just so draining! I’ve tried to focus a lot on giving my boys creative outlets – they’ve really been enjoying using the computer to create on programs like garageband and Google’s Sketchup (look mom I can draw in 3D!)…
I’m so thankful that Spring is on its way! (Of course, here that could just mean more of the same gray – but hopefully there will be more sunshine interspersed throughout a week.) Hang in there – “spring is just around the bend”! 🙂
~Jenny
I’m with Karen – those sure look like tasty little chocolate morsels from this side of the screen. Mmmm. Clearly, Lenten delirium is setting in.
🙂
Is the quote you are looking for “Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of a fire” [Yeats]?
That’s the guiding principle of my parish’s school.
Isn’t that quote either Charlotte Mason? Or maybe it’s Elizabeth Foss?
We’re not as bad off as you, down here in Ohio, but I feel ya on the weather thing. “Winter storm warning,” the weatherman calmly proclaims, not knowing that I’m googling his address and considering violence toward the messenger (not rational, I know…)
🙂
Sending you warm hugs!!!
I’m so sorry…I don’t know how ya’ll with “real” winters do it, really. We only have a couple of token snowfalls and plenty of nice days mixed in with our winter ones…and I still have a hard time this time of year! We’ve been captive for a week with the flu going around, and we’re driving each other crazy….AGHHHHH!