Lesson #1: No TV (and let go of the cat)

I heard and saw a lot (a LOT) of things during my time as a public school teacher.  I taught grades 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12.  I am now teaching my daughter at home, and it's grade 3.  I think it is the toughest grade yet (and this includes those Advance Placement classes).  There are just things that happen at home that don't happen in the classroom.  For example, not once did I ever have to say any of the following things to a student:

• Let the cat out of the closet and come do your work.
• No playing until your lessons are done (okay, maybe I used that one at school).
• Come back in the house and finish your work... and let the cat go.
• No, I won't text your friend's mom to see if your friend can play.  Go do your work.
• No, I won't be your secretary and write the answers for you so that you can hold your cat.
• Turn off the television.

That last one was the first big lesson for Darcy today.  She wanted to do her math test in her room.  I'm not a stickler about where she does her work; I just want her to do it.  After a little while I walked by her room and noticed she was doodling on her clipboard rather than taking her test AND the television was on.  I told her to turn it off and finish her test.  A few minutes later I went in to check on her and the TV was still on.  Ugh!   I turned it off and told her to finish up and bring me her test. 

Worst. 
Grade. 
Ever. 

That child was so distracted that she missed a dozen questions on greater than and less than (which she knows), and she skipped 33 multiplication problems (the easy ones - you know, multiplying by ones, fives, and tens).  Her grade was a big, fat "F."  David stopped by to make sure the cable guy knew what all he wanted to have done and he and I decided that we wouldn't say anything until after she finished all of her work for the day. It took the rest of the day to get her work done and it was after dinner before I could talk to her.

Did you hear the wailing from where you are?  If you didn't, I'm surprised.  I showed her the paper and her grade and I explained that because she had the television on that she was distracted and missed questions that she shouldn't have.  I also got on to her about completely skipping over 30 problems just because she didn't want to do them or didn't ask what she needed to do.  I told her no television for the rest of tonight and she wailed - sobbing, inconsolable, heart-wrenching, wailing - for over an hour.  She threw herself on her bed for a while, retreated to her tree house, shut herself in the guest room, and lay on the couch with pillows over her head, all while crying hysterically.  David and I both tried to tell her that she had her punishment and that she had learned her lesson, but she just wouldn't stop crying.  I swear, the kid punishes herself so much worse than we ever would (which is why only one night without television is appropriate for her). 

She's okay now, but I'm really hoping we don't have another day like this for a while.  Those crying jags are rough.  I don't know how elementary teachers handle stuff like that.  This is definitely not a problem I ever had when teaching in public school.   Home school is most definitely an adventure, even for the cat!