Unschooling?

There's an idea brewing in my head. As I look over the journal that is my blog, I find a recurring theme of frustration and burnout. What has not been mentioned is the boredom that David is experiencing. What I have been doing with my school is not working any better than the public school that David left. Not only have I not lit a fire, I have not even been filling the bucket! (see my mission statement) I have been very busy these last few days devising a new plan. In the past our plan has been mapped out in a planner with a task list for each day. The new plan includes time frames, in half hour increments, for each subject matter. This is my plan to get the work done. Oh my... really??

Routine and structure are the enigmas of our life. It doesn't come naturally for us. I keep thinking that it is the way that we will accomplish what needs to be done but it just doesn't happen. It never has for me. Ever.

So, what if? What if we tried unschooling? What if Dad and I supported anything that David was interested in learning?

What if we actually asked him what he would like to learn?

What if the tv stayed off and video games were relegated to weekends? Now, mind you, there is a real issue with the tv staying off. I, for one, happen to like it on. I'm a listener. I work while it's on. David, on the other hand, is watcher. He cannot have the tv on and do something else at the same time – not even toast a bagel. Tv on = burned bagel. Turning off the tv is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt him but it will save the bagels.

I digress. What if the tv stayed off and video games were relegated to the weekends? I think, with time (only a little time, not a lot), that things would start to change. For both of us.

David worked for and finally purchased a Lego Mindstorm NXT robot kit. What if he was allowed TIME to completely investigate the NXT? What if he finished the story that he started writing six months ago and I helped him illustrate it and bind it into a real book? What if we listened to an audio book? What if he cooked at least once a week? What if he made an chef's apron to wear while he cooked our meal? What if we watched Planet Earth and other documentaries on DVD? What if we did a unit study with another home school family? What if we tossed the books for the next five months and really dived into hands on learning?

What if we learned and stayed sane and had fun - all at the same time?

I think I might be on to something...

Cheers,

leapinlily

Burnout Blues

Is it really true that only eight short weeks ago that I was filled with zeal and optimism for our home school year? All I can now say is that the bucket is empty and the fire is cold. A great curriculum is dead in the water with the exception of anything that doesn't involve me. I've gained more weight and David is still only halfway through the math course that we started last year. I'm tired, intensely irritable and ready to chase down the school bus.

I would so like to have a funny commentary about this situation. I tend to be a make the best of it sort of girl, cracking little jokes and spouting little witty quips. Really I am!

Yet, I can't one-liner myself out of this. I try to come up with a new plan (remember me? the plan your work and work your plan girl?) Solomon had me pegged when he said there's nothing new under the sun. My best plan has already been made. I just can't work it! I can't even bite the heads of Barbies. There are no Barbies in this house!

For weeks I've wallowed in this malaise, blaming it on this and that and the other thing. But, it's not this and that and the other thing.

It's me...

With the last of my energy and concern I google 'dealing with home school burnout' and come up with 82,400 results. I'm relieved to know that nearly 100% of home school parents experience burnout at least once in their home school career. And, yet, it's not home school that is burning me out. It's ADHD. His, and mine.

I can't know for sure if I would feel this way without ADD as a huge, profound factor. It is, in fact, the core issue of everything about our lives, good and bad. I think that I can assume that I would experience burnout without ADD as every commentary that I read about burnout doesn't say one blasted thing about ADD. And, right now, I would so like to have something hugely profound to say about that. But, there is nothing, nothing!! but irritation... frustration... and a desire to eat the entire plate of chocolate chunk cookies that David baked this afternoon. Maybe I should widen my vision to grasp that baking cookies can be just as important as math. As a matter of fact, I'm sure that Albert Einstein discovered the theory of relativity after eating chocolate chunk cookies.

Today I read several articles on home school burnout, while feasting on David's chocolate chunck cookies. Should I ever tackle the theory of relativity, I'll need more than cookies. I would synopsize what I've read except that I can't type and eat cookies at the same time so click here for a good one.

If all else fails and there are no Barbies, there's always DeNae.

To be continued...

Cheers,

leapinlily