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7 Habits of Highly Effective New School YearsMaureen over at Trinity Prep School:http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TRINITYPREPSCHOOL/186215/ (please forgive my ineptness--this is supposed to be a cute little button) has asked me to share 7 habits that can lend to an effective school year, so I'm not going to bother with what I really started out like, so many years ago--you would either laugh or cry, I think I did both. These are the principles I wish I started out with, the ones that I have since practiced that have aided me most. I hope they can bless you. 1). Practice listening. First, listen to God. We are all known to make many plans and then ask God to bless them. But if you want effectiveness, it is best to listen to God's plans, and they will automatically be blessed! Of course, this means time in prayer, the Bible, and the practice of obedience in both the tiny and big things of life. There is not adequate time here to discuss this fully, but I hope you get the general idea. This follows hand in hand with listening to your child. Forget the notions of what you or the school or your mother-in-law thinks your child should be or do, take some time to listen to what he wants to be about. Although we as parents know better than to allow a child to eat candy for every meal just because he wishes to, it is equally wrong to take a fine artist and attempt to make him into a star football player, or vice-versa. If you take the time to listen when you think he is just babbling, and you have a million other things to do, you will gain a window into his little soul. 2). Educate yourself. This is one of the truest, most basic habits that will carry you and your children the furthest. Home education is not just for the children, it is for the whole home. At the beginning I educated myself as to the "why's" of homeschooling, but not so much about what education is and isn't. One of the best and easiest reads for this very thing is "The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook", by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, but it is not by far the only one. There are more books to read than there is space to type. The books that explain how you can teach in comparison to the public school system will only add more pressure and confusion, and can even lead to burnout and failure. Home education has been around since the beginning of mankind, while the public school method has only been practiced in the United States for the past 150 years or so, and has been proven to be a dismal failure. 3). Don't push. Both for yourself and for your children, this principle will serve you well. Although the school system may only have a certain number of days or hours, you have your children 24/7, so you don't have to follow by the school schedule. There are times when daily consistency will bring you the greatest results and peace, and there are times when sticking with a strict schedule will ruin the natural love of learning that is inherent in the whole family. Taking breaks for some summer fun, a winter vacation, the birth of a new baby, home organization, or just "educational overload", should not make you feel overwhelmed. All sorts of learning goes on, even in these times. This is where habit no. 1 comes in handy, so that you know when it would be wise to take a break, and when it would be wiser to persevere. 4). Don't bring school home. This may be one of the most difficult habits to put into place. After all, we tend to follow the patterns we know, and most of us can only imagine the structure of learning that we experienced ourselves. It does not matter if you actually have a chalkboard and school desks, or you sit around the dining room table, it is your own attitude and thinking that determines just how much of "schoolism" is allowed in your home. Here are some words that have been purged from my learning vocabulary: "grade-level"--1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. (each child has a unique, God-given time table--instead I keep a checklist of learning milestones, and encourage him accordingly) "grade"--such as A, B, C, etc. (only necessary if a child is learning things that make no sense to him--if he is interested, he will always do his best work) "test" (if he is already performing to the best of his ability, and I am witnessing his progress daily, why should I need to evaluate him?) 5). Don't expect too much too soon. You may have seen too many of those magazine covers with all of the perfect children, or perhaps you heard about the homeschoolers in Harvard and Yale, and you are certain that your child will automatically become a genius and begin writing in Latin on the second day, all at the age of 4. I was almost this bad, and then God gave me a child that simply would not cooperate with my plans for educational stardom! A child's first efforts are clumsy and awkward, and this is how it should be. A very wise person once told me that my child already wanted to please me, so why would I want to assume that she was not putting forth her best effort? If you are brining your children home from public or even private school, give them time to "decompress". They need time to think of learning in differently, that it is more than wearisome toil, but an exciting adventure. Remember, no matter how much you are itching to try out those expensive workbooks and different methods, your child's maturity, health, and ability are supposed to be the drivers. 6). Host daily, directed discussion. Believe it or not, this is where our best learning happens. After our morning clean-up, we all gather for some Bible and other reading and discussion. Sometimes I have found an interesting bit of news that we all will comment upon, or it may be a movie we recently viewed, or a book that someone is reading. We often start off in one direction, and end up at a completely different destination, sometimes in a room filled with open encyclopedias, atlases, history books, etc. With younger children, this is a good time to answer those important questions they have, such as why the sun seems so small, or why Daddy has to go to work, etc. 7). Don't commit to too many outside activities. One of the most priceless gifts of homeschooling is that of "unhurriedness". It is a blessing to be able to get up in the morning and not be frantically putting together breakfast, trendy attire, and homework. At home, it is what best suits your family that dictates how you will order your day, not someone else's schedule. Since you have the freedom to choose, it is unwise to allow a crowded schedule to interrupt your family life. While there are times when outside activities can be a blessed addition to one's home education, it is too easy to overload. Children need spans when nothing is "planned" so they can ride their scooters, catch bugs, plunk around on the piano, and even "twiddle away the time". Too many activities can eat away at the few hours they do have. It is sad, but I have witnessed that a lot of busy-itis begins and is encouraged by the very homeschool groups that we rely on for encouragement and affirmation. The question of "socialization" is often at the back of such pressures as well, which is where habit no. 2 comes in, educating oneself as to what true socialization means. I originally began typing and wondering how I would come up with 7 habits, now I find that 7 is too few--I guess those are ideas for future posts! God's blessing on you as you embark on this new year. Sherry Leave a Comment { Last Page } { Page 44 of 84 } { Next Page } |
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