The first half of fall is a good time to assess how my family measures up. It's a good time because we're adjusting to getting up for school each day, don't forget your band instruments, you have cross country practice today. This fall is an espcially good time to forgo At Home Schooling because our teachers have piled on the homework.
If my child spends a significant time on the weekend doing their homework, I'm not adding extra math. I'll add extra chores, something to get the child out of his chair, but not extra math. I consider writing a chore. Practicing the clarinet is a chore. Our routine hasn't changed much, but no one has faced a worksheet since August.
I've spent the last month pondering my ultimate goal of kicking each child out of the house prepared to do whatever it is that they want to do. Next month, we're going to do some serious extra math.
I spent 5 years researching gifted households, interviewing 100's of parents. I adopted as many of their practices as I could, as many hours a day as my kids could tolerate, which is to say not a lot. The children of gifted households spend an inordinate amount of time reading and engaged in other geeky learning activities. My kids spend an inordinate amount of time being normal.
During this time I also studied cognitive skills and this research produced methods that deliver results to the frankly non-gifted household. If my kids aren't going to spend 3 hours a day in learning activities, then they are going to spend 30 minutes a day in brutally difficult hard core cognitive skills building activities, and I'll twist any of their normal leisure activities toward something more productive.
I'm starting to see results of my efforts. It's not just that my normalies can compete with children raised the traditional gifted way, it's that I've noticed my kids bring something else to the table. Something social.
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