Tests and drills! I disliked them both in school and college! I was one of those students that knew the material well, but once the test came, I'd choke. So, if my daughter has a test, I always make sure I do not pass that dislike of tests to her and make the experience as pleasant as possible.
Then Math Drills happened! I noticed that when we began doing Math Speed Drills she would get pretty worked up and totally missed problems that she definitely knew. After a couple of tears and days of trying to figure out how to get over this stress, it occurred to me that it was not the drill itself that was stressing her out, it was the fact that she was too aware of the time factor. So, for the next drill I told her that I was not going to time her. Wow! She did her drill in under a minute! (I know, I know! Yes, I was secretly timing her). I did tell her afterwards that I timed her and that she scored 100% in under a minute. She was quite surprised! Now we take turns. Sometimes I time her and sometimes I don't, but I never tell her when. She likes it and does not stress about it anymore.
This is one of the many beauties of homeschooling. Instead of continuing the stress about something your child is struggling with, you can take the time to figure things out and make sure he/she is learning in a comforting environment. It also shows our kids that we can problem solve together and come up with useful solutions without altering the importance of learning.
I just love homeschooling!
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