Slowing down

Sometimes homeschooling just feels like a slog.  You want to accomplish a certain amount each day but the child's brain can only handle so much information.  Slow, then slower, then really slow.  It feels like we're trudging through mud rather than skipping along the yellow brick road.  Can I blame my "check list" mentality again?

Spelling - My goal was to make it through AAS 2 and 3 by the end of next school year.  We were moving along and then we hit a group of words which she naturally mispronounces (mixes short i's and e's).  Instead of calling out the word and having her spell it on the dry erase board while sounding out each phonogram, we've added in the visual aspect for reinforcement.  I show her the word on a flash card, say it for spelling (emphasizing the correct sounds), have her pronounce for spelling, and only then does she get to attempt it on a board.

example:
until - 11yo pronounces it  "un tell"
I show her the flashcard and pronounce the word overemphasizing the short i sound in "til"

dentist - I actually pronounce this as "dintest,"  I know, weird, huh?
Again, I have to pronounce for spelling.  I never realized my pronunciation was so poor.


We'll probably spend all week on this spelling list which means we will be behind where I would like to be.  In order for her to truly learn these spelling words, we have to move at her pace.

reminder: It's not above covering the material, it IS about learning it.