Hello everyone -
I am randomly going through the forum old pages to learn from the pioneers
One thing that struck me was how many mothers tell the same tale about a child age 8 or 9, mostly boys but sometimes girls. The child is usually described as a pencil-twirler, or a daydreamer, or as having to be nagged and coaxed into finishing school work. Almost always, the impression is that the issue is very much a physical one, in other words, the child isn't necessarily struggling to understand a particular subject, it just seems that he's unable/unwilling to work well independently, or just stay focused (or plain still!) - things like that.
I have a boy like that myself, and he's so contradictory: he taught himself to read when he was 5 and generally has a very quick mind, but he's also a master pencil-twirler, and I wonder about my attitude toward him... That "unable/unwilling" ambiguity is actually the crux of the problem. What should a mother do when it may just be a matter of physical/mental development? I get so frustrated and I am so impatient - but what good does it do? I struggle to find the right balance between understanding and accepting where he is in terms of maturity and the unavoidable nagging part.
I wonder if the real reason of MP 3rd grade being considered challenging has more to do with this difficult stage in the child than the material itself - I guess this is why I am considering the slowed-down option. On the other hand, are lower academical expectations the right answer? Well, maybe not exactly "lower", as we would still expect work well done - it's really just a matter of time taken to complete the year - but I wonder if even that would be a "surrendering" where I should press on instead.
I also worry that, being new to MP and to a situation where the lesson planning is done for me, I will be too rigid with him, and unwilling to be flexible and adjust and tweak - you know, if MP said you should be able to do this, then you need to do it. This is another reason to consider the slower track.
Experienced mothers of pencil-twirlers, what do you say? Does it just go away on its own?
I am randomly going through the forum old pages to learn from the pioneers

I have a boy like that myself, and he's so contradictory: he taught himself to read when he was 5 and generally has a very quick mind, but he's also a master pencil-twirler, and I wonder about my attitude toward him... That "unable/unwilling" ambiguity is actually the crux of the problem. What should a mother do when it may just be a matter of physical/mental development? I get so frustrated and I am so impatient - but what good does it do? I struggle to find the right balance between understanding and accepting where he is in terms of maturity and the unavoidable nagging part.
I wonder if the real reason of MP 3rd grade being considered challenging has more to do with this difficult stage in the child than the material itself - I guess this is why I am considering the slowed-down option. On the other hand, are lower academical expectations the right answer? Well, maybe not exactly "lower", as we would still expect work well done - it's really just a matter of time taken to complete the year - but I wonder if even that would be a "surrendering" where I should press on instead.
I also worry that, being new to MP and to a situation where the lesson planning is done for me, I will be too rigid with him, and unwilling to be flexible and adjust and tweak - you know, if MP said you should be able to do this, then you need to do it. This is another reason to consider the slower track.
Experienced mothers of pencil-twirlers, what do you say? Does it just go away on its own?
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