BREAK

Say it with me, AH, the first real break of the school year.  It couldn't come soon enough.  I am spent.  And to think we just finished one of three marking periods.  I never realized as a mother I would have to repeat school again.  Didn't I already learn this stuff?  I know my ABC's, most certainly advanced calculus, history, not so much.

The homework routine in our household is pretty much the same every night.  Starts around 7:00 pm ~ the world of two working parents.  First grader does his worksheet neatly, efficiently and with ease.  Nothing distracts him.  Then we review spelling words.  Wow, he knows them all and it is only Tuesday.  Excellent. 

Then we open the agenda of the 6th grader.  Yikes ~ looks like alot of homework if only we could read what it says.  So we muddle thru each subject, check the progress of what has already been done, make corrections, teach some lessons (not sure how this got missed in class), study for a test or two and by 9:00 pm, sometimes 10:00 pm, we should be done.  Did I mention there are alot of distractions, kids fighting and bathroom breaks in between.  Sometimes yelling.

So here is the kicker.  Last week I studied math with said 6th grader in preparation for a test.  Husband handled social studies and more specificially helped to study for the map test (note: husband is a social studies teacher / prides himself on knowledge of geography).  We divided and conquered ~ great strategy.  6th grader takes tests.  A- in math.  Excellent, making progress as compared to beginning of the year.  D on map test.  Speechless.

But then at the end of a long week, you clean out the backpacks, check the grades and often times see the fruits of everyone's labor.  They may not be perfect, but you know they are trying even if it involves a little push here and there.  It starts again next week ... when is the next break?

Tracy

a turkey any momma would be proud of