New Year

Another year has come and gone. We are trying to start anew with school. There are so many distractions which make it really hard. Joe is beginning to be more and more involved in school. Yesterday and today we worked on writing. He is such a funny kid, we start our day with exercise and scripture study. He slept through exercise and then we must have woke him because as Peter, Sam and I were starting scripture study, he jumps out of bed and starts exercising. He yells out, "wait for me!" He ran over to the bike and and trampoline and start trying to do a few moves. Then he came over to us sitting around the table and sits down ready to join our scripture study, Will is right behind him eager to also join. So I get all 4 of the boys sitting on the floor with the scripture video going for lesson 1 and then I run downstairs to print them off their scripture study notebooks. Then I help Will do it--he can't write so I asked him the questions and wrote for him. Then I help Joe. I asked him the questions and then wrote them on the nearby chalkboard. After a bit, he shows me his work and asks for my approval. I look and see all the words squished together--no spacing. I tell him that is looks good but that it lacks spacing, so for the next words start to space after each word like I had done on the board. He goes back to his desk and erases all of it! Then he starts copying something else! I asked him, what are you writing, he pointed to the question on the paper that apparently looked like something nice to copy. So I go over and sit with him and help him through it. I tell him to write T-H-E. Meanwhile Sam asks me a question, then I look back at Joe and he has written an 'A', I ask him why did you write an A?!! He looks at me and says "Oh!" And then I ask him, ok write a 'T'. I helped him all the way through it and he did great.

I am going to need a lot of patience with Joe. I am not sure how I am going to give each of them the time they need to get school done, but I am not ready to give up. As long as we are getting things done, I think we are doing ok.

Yesterday we had a lot of goofing off. So far today has been much better. No goofing off, just slower getting things done than I would like. Try try again!