Teaching

I didn't do teaching at university because I don't think I'm much of a teacher. I have taught new nurses, student nurses and new graduates, most of them say I'm pretty good. I don't personally think so, but as long as they do hey?

But I've noticed I'm doing a LOT of teaching at home this year. To an almost 13 year old boy. I'm terribly disappointed in the primary school, no research skills were taught, barely any homework set that actually required thinking. Yes the worksheets came home, but anyone can sit and do a worksheet, something that required thinking is what was lacking.


Now we're in high school!

Bring on the first assignment about Science. Choose a famous scientist from the list (I've never heard of any of them) and write about their life. He was quite able to do that independently. He has a lot of trouble rewriting sentences into his own words, he feels its perfectly ok to plagiarise - not a concept he's familiar with yet - but I'm teaching it. Part two is choose a field of science and define it, how has it advanced mankind and how has it hindered it, and write about three famous scientists from that field. Well we decided to go to the library last night and his infomation gathering skills (were in a word) crap. Panic is what set in, he read two lines and then breathlessly told me, "I've forgotten it all, its all hopeless."
I said "read it again",
"no use mum, I'll just forget again."
So there I was in the middle of the public library reading out stuff from an encyclopaedia. We got quite a bit done, thankfully its not due until the 16th March. I said to him "This is what I expect you to do tomorrow, work on the next problem using the internet" I hope it works without me having to sit next to him prompting each word. Hoping there is a little bit of independent thought.

Next area of teaching is: self control.

We're withholding his pocket money, well banking it, otherwise money falls through his fingers like water. He has no concept of delayed gratification, what is really needed and what is something for a wishlist. He is begging for an airsoft machine gun at the moment, the thing looks bloody realistic and once he gets it, he won't use it. Same as all the Nerf guns. But the one he wants, see above is very realistic and completely unnecessary. I don't' what this type of thing in my house, supposedly the one he wants is on sale at $7US, so what type of shit is it? I think I'll bite the bullet and say completely no. Maybe we'll have to take him to a firing range for his birthday this year, I suggested it for Christmas, but Jamie said no.

Also sleep. He is so resistant to bed. He knows he has to be in bed at 9.30, but he waits until 9.30 for someone to tell him to have a shower, to which he replies he's too tired and just wants to go to bed. I yell, he has a shower, doesn't get into bed until 9.50 and doesn't get to sleep until after 10pm. This morning he told me he's sooooo tired and wants to have the day off to sleep. So I said "Why do you not go to bed on time, why don't' you listen to your body?"
I asked him who he was trying to impress, I said maybe if he had a friend over, it makes sense to be cool and stay up late, but is he trying to impress me or Jamie? I went to bed at 8.30 last night (mainly cos I have a really interesting book) as I was tired, I asked him if he thought I was uncool b/c of this. He agreed it was quite sensible and he said he'd try and listen to his body. Hopefully he'll be in bed by 8.30 tonight. He's still only 12.75 years old, not the 17 year old he thinks he is.