I Think We Need a Fall Break

 We'll keep reading--still working on Gilgamesh and The Hobbit.

But we'll put the other stuff away to re-center ourselves and get out in the autumn sunshine.

Everyone is making progress--math, language arts, science, their various electives.

And the cutest part is how they're developing their ability to express gratitude!  Their gratitude journals are getting so creative (toilets, socks, YouTube videos about speed cube algorithms, etc.), and they're strarting to explain their reasoning more thoroughly.  I think the best part of each day is getting to review their gratitude journals.

And my next favorite part is reading their Wednesday Research papers.

Last week's compositions were about the Wonders of the World, and this week's were on world religions.  They're getting interesting!  And the kids are learning to write more clearly.

But I found Ladybug in tears one day over science.

Brother is profoundly struggling with algebra.

Mister Man is putting school aside to read graphic novels (not usual behavior for him).

I feel as if nagging, "Do your school.  Put that away.  Do your school.  Focus.  Do your school," is a never ending refrain that is exhausting us.  

There should be some joy in it all!!!

And there is . . . some.

Baymax is constantly calling, "Listen to this, Mom!"  Then he reads aloud to me a portion of a history book.

He finished this volume!
Now he's on volume 2.
(That's Little Princess and Lola wrestling into the picture in the background!)

Lola loves her nature drawing and her science narrations.

Brother really likes algebra, and he's making progress--it's just slow, and that frustrates him.  He expresses frustration through self-criticism, and that leaves me feeling uneasy (even though I know that's normal for him) because he's so hateful to himself, so I spend a lot of energy trying to teach him to redirect his self-talk in more positive directions.  

It's necessary!

I know that!

He needs to learn to not hate himself for making mistakes!

I take that job seriously.

The energy involved is . . . a lot.

Mister Man loves his geometry and electronics courses.  I love the unconscious grin on his face as he solves problems.

He's explaining the principles of this multi-directional circuit he created.
I didn't understand, but he did, and that's what matters!

Beowulf is a geography buff who has asked for a Rand-McNally road atlas for Christmas, and he delights in his geography books.

Ladybug expresses joy in the hope of becoming a firefighter someday, but I see only drain in her face as she works on her first aid and anatomy assignments.

She's demonstrating infant chest compressions on this doll.

Hard work--absolutely necessary.

Pushing through work that isn't fun--absolutely necessary.

Disliking some of the work in an otherwise satisfying goal--perfectly reasonable.

Looking 80 years old when you're only 16--concerning . . . very concerning.

I wonder if our current state of being all big kids is simply skewing my vision, but I miss long days of exploring nature trails together and reading stacks of good books together.

I know my teens have each stepped out of that simple world into the complicated world of academic requirements and adult goals, but I always had some small people left to fill my days with sunshine and  stories.

Did that blind me to the level of exhaustion my first teens were experiencing?  

I'm not sure.  

I feel like having littles kept the door open to them coming with us on outings when school got to be too much.

And their transcripts are filled with self-directed, unschool-ish sorts of education--Nature Angel's home-ec credit for designing and making that incredible Halloween ballgown, Rose Red's PE half-credit for surfing camp, Pixie's credits for teaching dance, Belle's credit for her urban farm volunteer hours, Super Star's credit for building her personal cookbook and making all the recipes in it . . . 

Somehow this younger group is struggling to find and turn their joys into education the same way the older group of kids did.

How did I facilitate it then?

How does this group of kids need me to facilitate it now?

All of that to say, I think we need a re-centering break!

I will explore my questions in greater depth, and we will find rocks to climb, streams to wade in, and paths to explore.

Though I must say, Little Princess looks like she got some serious rest while she was house/dog-sitting this past week!!