Inhibitions

One hard thing about homeschooling -- at least in my case -- is that in situations where schoolwork is frustrating, the child responds differently -- worse -- than she would in the classroom. At home, Ella feels free to break into tears when she's working on something that is difficult, that she can't understand in the first pass. At school or in public, she'd just suck it up, get going, and figure it out. But not here.

I'm never positive about exactly how to handle these situations, how much to jolly her into it. I mostly say, "Okay, I see you're frustrated. When you're ready, feel free to come to me with questions." (But sometimes, when I sense that she's just primed and ready to keep crying in a vaguely manipulative way, I do just tell her snappishly, "Get a grip, Ella.")