on typing and overcoming frustration
MJ has been dying to start learning to type/keyboard. She's an avid reader and writer, and even though she's on the young side for lessons, I felt strongly about supporting this interest because it bleeds into her desire to write more, and also because it's a very practical use of technology that she'll use her whole life.
We fired up Typesy on the computer and right away there was trouble with finger placement. It is hard making small fingers line up, just so, on those asdf keys! It is hard figuring out how hard to press each key! Too softly and nothing happens, too firmly and we've got a string of mistaken AAAAAAAAAs. The first ten solid minutes of logging on, MJ had already dissolved into tears of frustration, lamenting that she was a horrible typist and would never learn how to type and she hated this program and never wanted to do it again, ever. I had that moment that I often have as a mother and home educator, of discerning just how hard to push. Do I allow her to quit since she's obviously not enjoying it and it no longer falls into the "delight led, student driven" category? Or do I acknowledge her frustrations, set a reasonable goal, remind her of how well she's doing and how hard she's working, and support her through a challenge?
I chose the latter today, and she pressed on, making frustrating mistakes, but less so as she worked through the first level with the carrot dangling of playing a typing game at the end of the drudgery. By the end of the level, I could hardly get her to quit! The smile on her face shone with pride of having climbed an obstacle and overcome it.
For myself, this was a lesson of its own: I am learning and getting better at knowing my child, knowing when to push her and when to back off, and these are invaluable skills that I don't believe any other teacher could reasonably offer in a large classroom with no teacher's aide.
I'm proud of the two of us, and can't wait until she's writing a blog of her own one day.
We fired up Typesy on the computer and right away there was trouble with finger placement. It is hard making small fingers line up, just so, on those asdf keys! It is hard figuring out how hard to press each key! Too softly and nothing happens, too firmly and we've got a string of mistaken AAAAAAAAAs. The first ten solid minutes of logging on, MJ had already dissolved into tears of frustration, lamenting that she was a horrible typist and would never learn how to type and she hated this program and never wanted to do it again, ever. I had that moment that I often have as a mother and home educator, of discerning just how hard to push. Do I allow her to quit since she's obviously not enjoying it and it no longer falls into the "delight led, student driven" category? Or do I acknowledge her frustrations, set a reasonable goal, remind her of how well she's doing and how hard she's working, and support her through a challenge?
I chose the latter today, and she pressed on, making frustrating mistakes, but less so as she worked through the first level with the carrot dangling of playing a typing game at the end of the drudgery. By the end of the level, I could hardly get her to quit! The smile on her face shone with pride of having climbed an obstacle and overcome it.
For myself, this was a lesson of its own: I am learning and getting better at knowing my child, knowing when to push her and when to back off, and these are invaluable skills that I don't believe any other teacher could reasonably offer in a large classroom with no teacher's aide.
I'm proud of the two of us, and can't wait until she's writing a blog of her own one day.
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