Today I used the flashcards with Jennifer's math assignment. We're still doing number recognition of numbers 10-20. That didn't go over very well last week so it's getting done again this week. At first she did fine counting off each number, but when I selected random numbers, like I normally do with this lesson, she got a little confused. I tried showing her a little trick, like using the number in a "teen" number to help her identify which one it is (like "thra" with "three" and "thirteen" and "four" in "fourteen" and how the one in front of a number makes it a "teen number"), but she didn't catch on to that very well.

I got a little frustrated but reminded myself to STAY PATIENT! I kept my voice calm and avoided saying "no" when she guessed. Instead, I said, "Well, do you think that's correct?" or "Let's look at this number again." I get a feeling saying "no" has a negative affect when talking with people (that's just me and my penchant for constructive word choice in my communicating with others seeping in there!), and I tried to spend time on each number so she could think about it.

I didn't let that lesson drag on for too long. She got visibly frustrated. So I said we would work on the flashcards more later and that she did very well on today's math lesson.

She did, however, do excellent work on her English lesson. She got an "A" on all of her worksheets. I was impressed. She DOES have a tendency to write out all uppercase letters instead of lowercase, but at least she's getting her words right and no trouble with writing the letters. Apparently, she's taken after me: Strong in English, poor in Math. *sigh*

All the same, I'm keeping another reminder at hand: She's learning at her own pace. And I really have no problem with that at all -- especially when guilt tries to get the better of me.