Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Anyone feeling 3rd/4th quarter blues?

That time of year again... break long enough and realize how much the kids like to learn and then feel guilty sending them back to school? Or maybe I feel mostly guilty about being tired of "thinking" this to death but not doing enough about it to feel like we are doing our best by them.

Is it cabin fever - or for those in "not perfect" situations - is this just how you usually feel at this point in the year? So many days in and so little to show for it?

Tempted to eat off some bunny ears early :-)

Yes I'm definitely feeling that ... about both my HS'd 3rd grader and my Ker in public school. Our break is coming up and I know I won't want to send him back. I'm trying to have him finish out K - I don't know why - just this need to finish things.....he's not miserable but is unhappy - he'll be homeschooled next year. But if I see one more worksheet on counting items to 10, I will scream. He says "I don't learn anything I don't already know." all the things he needed to learn in K, he got the first few months ie all the social things of K.

I'm totally on the same page but didn't realize that it had to with time of year. I have been frustrated with DD8's math pace since the school year started so I started Aleks in the middle of the year. Now I realize that she has not advanced much in reading/language arts wrt critical thinking skills I guess you'd call it. Most likely due to lack of exposure and waiting for everyone to catch up. argghhh. It is frustrating. I was so exctied to hear that our class finally started cursive a couple of weeks ago when other classes had started long before.

The last couple of weeks of the third quarter and the first two or three of the fourth are always kind of depressing.

We are in the midst of testing season, and it feels so rushed. Just a few weeks ago DD had Otis Lennon test (?), then this week is ITBS for middle school math and science placement. We have a week off and then the state wide achievement testing. DD has no homework, but comes home every day with test tips and all the kids feel the pressure.

Jen

Kickball, I thought of you when I saw a chocolate bunny with extra long ears at the store today.

After a great spring break, I felt the same back to school blues that came at the end of summer and winter breaks. Luckily when DD6 came home from school yesterday, she had a good attitude about practicing the two digit multiplication problems she'd learned over spring break. This carried over to her choosing to work on some Logic Safari problems too.

So I'm feeling hopeful that her love of learning is still intact and we have a good plan in place with the teacher for the rest of the school year. If things take a sudden turn for the worse though, we'll start summer break sooner rather than later.

Yep, we've been feeling the blues for a couple months now I'm hoping that Spring Break this week with no assigned work, will help.

Bunny ears

I feel the same way. I usually end up around now wishing I could homeschool.:(

[quote=kickball] Or maybe I feel mostly guilty about being tired of "thinking" this to death but not doing enough about it to feel like we are doing our best by them.

That sums it up exactly, but I feel that way the whole year long. I chalk it up to inertia caused by having too many options for the kiddos and not enough guidance.

Heck, I am in the last quarter of my own college school year and have those blues....

I read some of this to my son and he said "No, we're homeschoolers and it's more rock & roll around here." He's not feeling the blues even though our homeschool situation is far from perfect.

Lori, your son's comment made me smile. Rock on!!

I've been getting all of my "summer curriculum over the last week or so. I've got many different grade levels and subjects going on this summer. It's making me antsy to get started!

Well, we're homeschoolers, yet I have been feeling way too busy of late. There's hardly time for academics with all of the other stuff we have been doing.

I'm looking ahead to summer, and thinking that maybe it's not so bad if the kids don't have a lot of camp stuff happening.

Down under, I've got the end of Term 1 blues...Only 1 more sleep til holidays and I'm declaring it (inter-)national pj day on Friday, as I fully expect the kids and I to loll around in jammies all day!!! The grade skips have gone well, generally speaking, although both girls are asking for more maths. But it seems that the honey-moon period is wearing off, particularly for Miss 4 *sigh* who wants more maths, spelling, science, sightwords, homework sheets, reading, gymnastics and craft! Sounds like we're in for a busy holiday period!!! jojo