Time Tracker

I am currently enjoying the weariness that only teachers and homeschoolers completing their first week of school can truly understand. School this year starts at 9 and ends at 4. It's the only way to fit everything into four days instead of five. This is the first year I've decided to hold firm about homework. If they don't finish within the given hour, they must do it in the evening. It helps that we've banned all electronic media, including the internet during the work week. Tokens for weekend use must be earned by completing the work on time. I thought this was going to be a real drag, but I bought the above device--the Time Tracker--and it really has worked small miracles. They decided to divide the hour evenly between the three sections, and they do try to beat the clock. When the red zone beeps and lights up, the atmosphere in the room changes. The price for this gadget seemed high when I bought it. Now, they could charge me more.
The schedule isn't as bad as I thought it would be. We begin with phonics/writing. On one level I'm teaching the ABC's on the other they are writing essays and preparing speeches. The second hour is math which Kurt grades so I just have to get it done and on his clipboard. Third hour is reading time ranging from The Bug Bag to How to Read a Book. We take a break for lunch and a walk, then we come right back for spelling and handwriting. I still can't believe I have to teach those, but any time I come across my own work I had the same problems. Amnesia is a kind friend. My favorite hour is the sixth where we alternate between Chemistry and history. I wish the whole day could be devoted to science and history. The last hour we work on grammar. This week it was very easy to skip it. I'll have to be more disciplined as the book shifts gears from introductory stuff that's pretty useless to serious instruction.
I have 18 years left of being a mom. Motherhood hasn't had an expiration date before. Bumping into it makes me feel like the clock has left the green zone and entered the yellow. Knowing that makes all the work feel trifling and pleasurable.