Whistle While We Work
I need each of the kids to learn how to sit and work independently for an uninterrupted length of time. Without this, I cannot work alongside them. Nor can I give either of them any individual time. Luckily, the classrooms at NJ's reinforce the kind of independence I want to build at home, so none of this is new for them. S has become so fantastic with following through on simple instructions. I can see her remembering instructions and procedures that applied to an older workbook, or a previous section of her current workbook and just using those to figure out what she needs to do. She enjoys talking quietly as she works, very often she's addressing one of her many imaginary friends and it is quite acceptable for me to tune out, which I do regularly to focus on my work. This day, I was helping F, who wanted me to draw him some animals. We labelled each with the starting sound of its name, and kept going until the page was full. Then I supplied the little man with some brushes and paint (solid palettes equals less wasted paint and no spills) to colour in all his creatures. It took him 20 minutes of making three paintings, the one I drew and two others, to come ask for attention. He knew where the paper was, and how to get it, so everything went smooth. Slowly, with gentle support, and with learning to read independently, I hope to increase the time that we can spend together, concentrating on our separate tasks.
