S-U-C-C-E-S-S – Homeschooling Is Where The Heart Is!
That is how we spell success (visualize fancy, spinning upward movement with pom-poms) gooooooooo Royals! I remember the cheerleaders running out to the sidelines to belt out this little ditty when we scored a point against our elementary nemesis. It’s easy to know when your team has scored a point during the big game and you’ve had a successful year playing basketball, volleyball, and softball. But what I want to know is how do you, yes you teacher/parent, gage success in your day to day homeschooling? What about the end of the school year? I will share with you some examples of what I think amounts to a successful homeschooling endeavor with your child:
-You come to realize that mastery of an educational skill is more important than doing every work sheet and lesson in the book you purchased to teach the subject.
-You take a deep breath and realize that if there is something your child needs to know for her future profession of choice, that you did not teach her, she will learn it when the time comes. (Just like every other person who has stepped foot in a university, trade school, joined the military, etc.)
-When you realize you need to make a change for the better…you make a change for the better.
-You know that how you teach the subject is just as important as what you are teaching. How do you handle your emotions after you’ve told your child several times to print neatly, so you can read his work, and his printing still looks like a foreign language? You seriously thought your child mastered a math skill two weeks ago and it appears to be Greek to him today. If reviewing the material is a little too frustrating at the moment you tell him, “That’s okay, you just need a refresher, we’ll tackle this tomorrow.”
-Improvise, adapt, overcome isn’t only for the Marines. See example above.
-Let us consider checklists, “Checklists are more of what you call guidelines than actual rules.” (Captain Andrews from Pirates of Waynedale). This bears a striking resemblance to, “The code is more of what you call guidelines than actual rules.” (Captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean). Refer to the 5th checkmark on this list.
-You have learned to appreciate irony, for instance, your child knows how to spell Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi but not Five-Star General Dwight D. Eisenhower (actually, I have to admit, I had to ask Cortana how to spell that one myself).
I have only scratched the surface with this list; nevertheless, I hope it reminds you that a successful homeschool education happens between you and your children when you set aside rigidity, conformity, outside pressure, and the critical voice in your head. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts on a successful homeschooling experience at homeschoolingheart@gmail.com.
Until next month God bless you and your little or not so little ones!
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- S-U-C-C-E-S-S – Homeschooling Is Where The Heart Is! - January 20, 2017
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