Homeschooling a child with ADHD can sometimes be trying. I know in my home, there is a certain amount of noise and chaos associated with my daughter.
For the parent who works outside of the home, coming back to this inherent chaos can sometimes be distressing. Homeschooling in general sometimes means that the house is not always perfectly clean and straight. This is also a source of stress for the parent who works away from home, only to return to a house that looks like nothing has been done.
For the parent who stays home to homeschool, there is another kind of stress. ADHD students can be demanding, difficult, and hard headed.
Add to that that they tend to be loud, flamboyant, and messy. It is hard to contain school to one area, because the ADHD student needs to move around, and needs to take frequent breaks.
I won’t say that I have the answers as to how to fix these sources of stress. At this point, just know that both parents may be having some stress associated with homeschooling and ADHD. This may translate into less patience with the student.
Consider taking frequent breaks from school. We have five minute clean ups, where we try to regain some peace and order among the chaos. Consider a “clean desk” policy. If it is clean and straight at the end of a school day, then at least you start out with a clean desk each new school day.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
US Government--Social Studies
You know there is an important election coming up, right? That question is asked, tongue-in-cheek, because if you turn on the television you know that there is little else on television. I’m not here to push any candidate or political philosophy.
What I do want to remind you of is the idea that this could be a great learning situation for your children. If your children are young, then let them learn the basics of our form of government, for example, the three branches of government. If they are a bit older, maybe help them learn about the duties of the president, and the importance of our form of government. Take it a step further if your child is late middle school, or high school, and learn how the electoral college works.
It is also a great time to share what you believe with your children. Discuss which candidate you would consider to elect and why. Tell them why you made that choice. Discuss the pros and cons of each candidate, as well as the benefits and detriments of keeping the incumbent. It is possible that your child will choose a different candidate than you do, but this is a great opportunity to open dialogue about what your think is important as far as our country, our government, and our future are concerned.
What I do want to remind you of is the idea that this could be a great learning situation for your children. If your children are young, then let them learn the basics of our form of government, for example, the three branches of government. If they are a bit older, maybe help them learn about the duties of the president, and the importance of our form of government. Take it a step further if your child is late middle school, or high school, and learn how the electoral college works.
It is also a great time to share what you believe with your children. Discuss which candidate you would consider to elect and why. Tell them why you made that choice. Discuss the pros and cons of each candidate, as well as the benefits and detriments of keeping the incumbent. It is possible that your child will choose a different candidate than you do, but this is a great opportunity to open dialogue about what your think is important as far as our country, our government, and our future are concerned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)