It is just so painful these days especially with my younger son. For my elder son, I started him on self study from a younger age. I think by 3rd or 4th grade he had begun not only doing his home work and assignments by himself but also got into the habit of studying for his assessments on his own. My younger son is another story altogether.
Being slightly younger than other children in his class, the initial few years in the kindergarten were tough. He and I went through some harrowing times before the husband and I decided to make him repeat a class. That eased off the burden a bit. He adjusted beautifully to this tough change. His approach to learning changed substantially. He was happier with the curriculum and could pick up things on his own.
Though, he manages to do most of his homework assignments himself with some help from me, I find it very hard to make him self study otherwise. I don’t mind explaining or sitting with him but I hate spoon feeding. I want him to inculcate the habit of disciplined studying, of being able to study himself adequately to take his exams. Currently, he drives me nuts. Just the process of making him sit down to study is painful. And then he expects me to question him after he has learned. He is in 3rd grade now. With 4 FAs and 2 SAs in a year, this is truly taxing for me. Also, it makes him unduly dependent on me. Currently we spend hours to go through a few chapters as he keep dilly dallying and procrastinating taking undue breaks.
Here I must interject that I am the only parent in the house who teaches the kids clearly because I am supposed to be patient and calm. Both of those qualities I am running woefully short on today. Since I can’t look for any help at home and I hate sending out my kids for tuitions, I am wondering if there is a phased/focused approach in which I can slowly edge him into taking onus for his studies. Am I being unrealistic in expecting him to study on his own at 9 years?
I also feel more frustrated because personally I was very methodical with my own studies and my work now. I plan well. And he is an exact opposite. And also because in my home, my parents never taught us. They never even bothered when our tests/exams were. We all self studied.
As he has tests one after another starting from tomorrow, I am bracing myself for a tough week ahead. The only saving grace is that his toughest paper, Hindi, is tomorrow. We can collectively heave a sigh of relief after that. But for now, my Sunday seems quite packed… with Hindi and yelling.
Do you have any tips for me? How do you teach your kids?
Rachna says 
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