Homework Blues

I don't know what it is with my two boys, but when it comes to homework, they think it is the worst thing that could happen to them.

For example, last night they had a cub scout pack meeting in the evening. Before we left, I told them that when we got back, they would have to do homework, particularly study for their spelling tests the next day (Friday). They nodded their head and said the understood. But when we got home and I informed them that they needed to get their backpacks and get their spelling out, all hell broke loose.

My first grade son gets ten spelling words and my second grade boy gets six. Don't ask me why, but that is just the way it is. Anyway, I had them look over their words that they have been studying all week. First, I gave my son, Z, a practice test. He got four out of six correct. The ones he missed, I had him write five times each. Of course he threw a fit. I told him that if he didn't do the work, he would not get movie night on Friday night. Well, that made him fuss more.

Next, I gave J, my first grader a practice test and he missed half the words. He was disappointed, but dutifully wrote all miss spelled words five times each. In the mean time, I went round and round with Z about writing his two miss spelled words. When he finally did, I re-tested him and he missed one more. And again, threw a big fit on having to write one word five times each.

Back to J, he re-tested and got all but two correct. One of them he got wrong the first time. Now, he threw a fit at writing the missed words but did it. Meanwhile, Z, finally wrote his two missed words and I re-tested him on all his words again and he got them all right. After that, he was calm as cold be and no fussing. Next, I re-tested J, and he finally got all ten of his words correct and, as with Z, he became calm and stopped fussing.

They both brushed their teeth and went to bed with out incident.

I will ask them today when they get home, how they did on their tests.

I don't understand why they act that way. Every week, when we go over their spelling words, it is the same. Next week, I will try something different. I don't know what yet, but I can't go through that mess again. Maybe I am doing something wrong, although neither of them like school.

I don't know. I am starting to ramble. My cue to end this post.