This post is dedicated to all of those Mum’s out there who teach their own children. I really do not know how you do it. Seriously, I bet you also cook for a gazillion people, do the gardening and every other shitty job on the place. And I bet you do it all without shedding a tear (and more often than not for no pay either). Well, you probably don’t but in my head you do. This week I am teaching, only for 4 days, but already I am defeated. And I am not cooking for the staff, in fact I have taken Easy Street and am getting take away from the kitchen. Didn’t think I would over commit any more than necessary.
Sunday saw me doing my prep work for the week to follow. Familiarizing myself with the school work and noting down what needs to be done. I thought it was best to be organised because I am on a quest to be a more patient, easy going and less stressed Mum and Wife. We’ll see how things go.
I have been trying to prepare myself by listening to an audio book I downloaded a few years ago called Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff….. my god, it is so relevant, let me tell you. All about having more patience basically. I definitely needed to listen to this book. Now that my children are all home, from their week away, I have made a pact with myself to be a happier, more patient Mum and not stress about all the mess…..maybe one day I will have a clean house…..one day. But this is not the week to worry about clean houses. This is the week to worry about my children’s education and how best to wrangle a toddler, and two students, in the school room while teaching.
This week I am determined to turn a blind eye to the train tracks all over the floor, to the lego thrown everywhere, to the junk covering the dining table and to the un-made beds…..ok – these are never made…..so that one will be easy!
My face upon entering the School Room
What a joke….who am I kidding…… all of this patience bullshit went out the window with my sanity after only 28 minutes in the school room. Yes, that’s right folks, this “patient and happy” Mumma was in tears by 8:28am! After thinking I was pretty organised and had my shit together I then found out that Tom does in fact have science this week …… let me tell you that this WAS NOT on the timetable. O hang on, we got a new timetable just 30 minutes before school started…..but what about all of that prep we need to do so we actually know what we are teaching……I was a raving lunatic. Didn’t even think we had the science unit, but alas I found it in the car – for safe keeping. Disaster averted. Tears were dried and I tried to pull myself together.
Lucky I enjoyed a lovely smoko in the kitchen because there was no lunch break for me! By lunch time I was distressed and in tears again. How dumb does one feel when they can’t teach their child year 4 maths……fractions just are just not my bag baby, and never have been. Holy cow, this stuff was hard and I had no idea how to teach him, he actually knew more than me. So after a phone call to Mrs Sav in tears she convinced me to scrap maths and just keep moving. Good idea Mrs Sav, thanks for coming to my tearful rescue. So I pulled myself together…..again……and got on with familiarizing myself with the Science unit – Ready, Steady, Grow – sounds like a thrill a minute doesn’t it. Yes we made the seed head and now have to watch it grow and take photos everyday.
Tom doing his On Air Lesson
After my first day in the school room I feel I have aged about 30 years and I am drained. My day certainly didn’t go as planned. Tomorrow I have a new fully detailed plan (watch that go out the window) and hope to get Clancy into bed for a sleep in the morning to give us all some peace. Toddlers and school rooms do not mix. So it appears I cannot take my own advice, I keep sweating the small stuff. I need to learn to Move with the Cheese. Easier said than done.
So that is my day….surely things will be better tomorrow. High fives to all of you brilliant Mum’s out there who do this gig full time…..all I can say is that I am glad I put some Chardonnay in the fridge last night! THANK GOD!!! I think that the kids and I would have to move to town if I had to do this teaching business everyday.
What my face looked like by the end of the day
If you don’t hear from me for a while I may have been locked up for murder, or I am just lying on the floor with my bottle of Chardy.
PS: yes there are probably a heap of mistakes in this post, and it probably doesn’t make sense but I am beyond caring……Happy Hour is only 16 minutes away…..Cheers x
Oh Dan John and I just can’t wait for the next instalment. YouVe made my day. Laughed all the way through your blog. Luv you so much
I think I am finally ready to start laughing about it, have just finished my first Chardy…….glad i could put a smile on your dial. Love you too.
Meant to tell you we are having a Croser tonight for you and for our anniversary Good stuff!!! you should try it
Wish I was there with you and your big smile (and maybe a cheeky chocolate log) xxx
O my god….I really have been living under a rock haven’t I….I just had to google “Croser”…… are you telling me it is better than Duperrey?
Oh geez! I applaud you. Good luck xoxo
Thanks Kez!
My dear miss Chardy, I am feeling your pain even though I have no children to teach or toddlers to handle or responsibilities to maintain or really any problems at all, but I feel for you Ms Chardy. Actually my life is pretty good come to think of it. Hummm ….. anyway I am sure big burly Mr Chardy will rub those sore tired feet and stroke that frazzled hair and make all things lovely again. Well maybe. you are doing great miss Chardy and I am cheering you on .. go you good thing and keep strong, someone has to 🙂
Thanks FBH, you are so supportive!!! Today was better!
My dear Miss Chardy. I am thinking of you in your school room and just wanted to remind you of your governessing days, especially when you moved to the NT. I am sure that you are doing a damn fine job and the boys will be all okay. Just think of the challenges you have overcome over the past few years and go from there. And as a wise woman once advised me, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help?” I would be there in a flash is I could and i know that there are lots of others who feel the same, otherwise I might be able to put some more Chardy on the plane for you later in the week. Best of Luck.
Thanks Cindy Lou….I really need to “toughen up princess” and get on with it. Don’t worry, help is arriving on Thursday, so all good. I really thought I could just suck it up for a few days and not lose my shit. Hopefully today will be better. Tom kept telling me yesterday: “Don’t worry Mummy, tomorrow will be better” god love him. Take care xxx
Wow I can so relate!!!! Loved reading your account of what seems to happen in my daily life after struggling with just ONE student for the past 4 years.
So all you great Mum’s are coming out of the wood work! Glad you can all relate. So glad I am not the only crying Mum out there, I even cried in front of the 9 year old yesterday morning, it was not good! I am sure you do an amazing job Kerrie!
Hello Miss Chardy
I want to be your friend 🙂
Today was a shit day in my school room & receiving your blog put a smile on my grumpy face.
I live with my husband & four children on a Kimberley cattle station.
I have been home schooling my four children for last 11 years ( I have a 16 yr old doing his first year mechanic apprentice, 12 yr old boy, 9 year old girl & 6 yr old girl) & I often ask myself what the hell am I doing… I’ve also noticed grey hair surfacing amongst the blonde.
I tell my kids I should be the smartest mum in the world as so far I’ve done grade 7 three time, grade 4 four times & grade 1 five times… I don’t feel very smart at all 🙂 maybe a smart ass 🙂
I don’t have a Govy for the simple fact they are here for a good time not a long time & most are young & inexperienced.
What I now have is a house bitch ( someone to do the washing, clean the floors & tidy up around the house) you can’t wreck someones house by not cleaning it properly….
I look at my eldest son with pride, I haven’t done such a bad job ( he still loves me & lives at home ).
He can read, write & has work ethics.
I remember out fighting fires a few years back & a contract musterer told me what a hard working son I had.
My reply was “I wish he’d work like that in the school room” he said to me “Ann we can’t all be academics, we workers in the world too”. I’ll never forget those words, how true.
Anyway at the end of the day it’s a bloody hard job teaching your own kids but also rewarding knowing you’ve played a big role in their education as well as spending quality time together.
As we all know they grow up way too fast & soon we’ll be going through empty nest syndrome.
So to all you home schooling Mums hang in there & remember we’re all in the same boat ( same shit, different day just the depth that varies).
Cheers Ann
Ann…. sooooo goood to hear from you. Geez girl, what ARE you doing and how are you still sane/alive/not in prison? I must say…today was a better day and that was only because I had a “house bitch” to help with my toddler…..thank god! I even perhaps enjoyed the day, and felt in control (who’d have thought that could happen after yesterday). May not be doing everything properly but I have my sanity to look after so I figure it will be ok. And I am being a princess anyway, I have a lovely girl arriving on Thursday to save my sorry ass. So I just need to suck it up. I take my hat off to you Ann, not sure how you survive. I think I would be more sane if the toddler wasn’t tearing things apart. Good on you Ann, your 16 year old sounds like a wonderful boy so well done! And I am sure the others aren’t too messed up, ha ha ha ha.
O and can I just say Ann…year 4 maths….wtf…..I have given up on those fractions…..I was in tears at lunch time yesterday over improper fractions and what not….not healthy! Year 4 maths is NOT what it used to be. I used to teach it when I was a Govie and I assure you it wasn’t like this!
Mum taught us kids SOTA for yrs she had too there was no other way and she had no one to help either as dad often worked away for weeks at a time and then as he was so good at his job he wasn’t allowed time off he used to knock off at 5pm drive 3 plus hrs from exploration site to the station arrive home late at night and go at the following morning to be at work by 5am. Then we moved to the site from the station we still didn’t see much of dad and mum had to run the camp and teach us kids and actually keep us in the school room the pet roo out and deal with anything else from geologists drillers and rigs arriving to searches for missing pets, fires close by etc we all survived and mum didn’t murder us and I’m still scared of her and what mum says goes and I’m in my late 20’s it was the best lifestyle ever we also had more responsibilities than city kids as we had to help run the camp eg unloading the food trucks, driving cars, machines organising people and accomodation taking care of the pets and that was only for starters I completely get what you’re going through and don’t worry it’s just as hard on the kids the amount of times mum threaten to kill us kids metaphorically speaking! I’m now a chalky studying psych and yes yr 4 maths is a pain and I can’t stand teaching fractions!
Oh Katherine, how fascinating… your Mum sounds like an absolute legend, what a trooper. Glad to hear you have all turned out ok even though your Mum sounds like she was just like me at times… bat shit crazy… and don’t even get me started on year 4 maths. I was speaking to my good friend from next door – Mrs Savvy B – yesterday and she had to cancel school before lunch time yesterday just to save her sanity… maths was killing her, maybe year 6 fractions though this time. I feel sick just thinking about it.