There are currently many families juggling a lot of different hats since the stay-at-home order was given. From mother/father to now teacher/guidance counselor; for many, these are new and unknown territories. So how do we manage it all?
I started my homeschooling journey when my daughter was in the fifth grade. She will be starting her senior year this fall. Although this was a gradual journey and very different from the “crisis homeschooling” many parents are faced with today, there are some lessons I learned along the way and many rewards that we found homeschooling can bring.
One of the important lessons I’ve learned was deciphering between the mom/parent hat and the teacher hat. It was helpful to my daughter when I was consistent with my teacher roles by scheduling class times and creating an organized school space. After class time was over, I put my mom hat back on and was available with any questions/concerns that came up from her school day. After class, it was time for either extracurricular activities or her independent work. Throughout this process I found that keeping communication open with my daughter and being willing to receive and give constructive feedback on what was working and what was not working helped to grow and strengthen our relationship.
In addition to nourishing my relationship with my daughter I also found that homeschooling gave us the great reward of a flexible schedule. It allowed us to work around unexpected family crisis, sickness, or vacation plans. It also gave us the freedom to take extra time to focus on challenging subjects, or breeze through easy ones. It provided opportunities to look for different ways to improve her educational experience and figure out her personal interests and passions along the way. With a flexible schedule she was able to volunteer and get hands-on work experience through several internships.
A great resource that helped me as a teacher was learning how to discover and teach to my daughter’s strengths. Focus on the Family has many helpful resources including the book “The Way They Learn” by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. It’s a great tool to help parents and teachers make the most of their children’s education, as no child/student are alike.
Becoming creative with social interactions was another important lesson we learned while homeschooling. Before COVID-19, we had been involved with several homeschool co-ops, music lessons, youth groups and our church worship team. We continued to make a conscious effort to stay connected with our community and friends. As restrictions have been put in place for our safety, we are now using technology from home to stay connected. Zoom has become very popular with keeping our youth group teens connected once a week. We are also thankful that Gorham School of Music is offering online lessons during this time.
Probably one of the biggest challenges that I’m sure many students deal with is the lack of motivation. It can be especially difficult to keep motivated when you are always home. Not all students will be self-starters or self-motivated. It can also change from day to day.
One incentive that worked for us to increase motivation during elementary school was creating a jar of prizes when bonus projects were completed. Prizes could include a pizza party, or a gift card to your favorite place. We also found taking “brain breaks” helpful during the day. Going for a walk, playing an instrument or game, and just eating a snack helped to break up the day.
For high school students, listening to music and making a list of priorities for each day can help them stay focused. Changing where you do your lessons can also add some refreshing variety to the day. Reading a book for school or studying on a hammock or a porch swing on a sunny day can be a nice change from the typical desk.
Sacrificing time and energy and investing in your children’s education will never be wasted. It is a season of life that goes by so quickly. The biggest reward is spending time together and getting to know your children. I encourage parents to look at this time as a gift rather than an inconvenience. Take one day at a time and try to learn from each other. Our children have a lot to teach us as well – enjoy the journey.