You know that feeling when you take a deep breath, breathe out halfway but hold the air in your cheeks, then let it out like a balloon deflating? Uh huh. That is me. Right Now. Tomorrow is Friday. Next week is spring break. Need I say more?
This week we have only focused on finishing the reading for the quarter and math. I can say with GREAT JOY that my boy has finished Math-U-See Epsilon with a 97% on the final test. I'll call that mastery! Especially since the one problem that he missed he knew the answer to and looked at me as if to say, "I can't believe I missed that, Mom," then told me the correct answer. His math confidence has increased dramatically. I'm so pleased.
Other than that I have two things on my mind...Spring break, and a question: How can I structure next year so that I do not reach this level of burn-out? Pondering...Stay tuned for the answer...
Hi Kelly- I'm another Tapestry user from TWTM boards. I started following you on my google readers from one of your posts there. Like you, I am also using Tapestry with young children (8,7,4,2).
ReplyDeleteAlmost everyone I know who is burned out is schooling 5 days a week and plans on taking an extended summer break. Have you considered going to a year round schedule? This year we schooled 4 days a week with 6 weeks on, the 7th week off. We also took a week off at Thanksgiving, 2-3 weeks off at Christmas, etc. in addition to our regularly scheduled weeks off. We've had a lovely school year and I feel no sense of burn out. :) I'm altering the schedule a bit next year to take into account extra days off around birthdays, voting days, etc. We love this relaxed schedule! We always have time to go to the playground or a field trip- it really has been so nice!
I really appreciate the advice! Actually this is something I am considering--I used to do 4-day weeks, but I have found that as my son gets older, we need that extra day because his work is more demanding. I am considering a 6 weeks on, 1 week off schedule. I have observed this year that this is about the amount of endurance I have for school, and at about the six-week mark I need to regroup, tweak a thing here or there, or give the house a really thorough cleaning! :-) I think that the added pressure of a weekly co-op has contributed to burn out, though I wouldn't have traded that for anything! We are making some changes for the fourth quarter, and considering what the group will look like next year. I am excited about what we have planned for next year. I don't want to hit this wall again.
DeleteGood job on the 97%! I'm sorry I have no advice on the burn-out. We're still in prek and haven't experienced that yet. I hope you find the perfect solution.
ReplyDelete