Posted in Teaching Thoughts

The old adage that a mom has "eyes in the back of her head" doesn't really require explanation if you have a child.

Sometimes parents "just know" what their child is thinking or doing - even when the munchkin in question isn't in sight.  Yet trusting that instinct isn't easy - especially when we don't like what we intuitively know. 

Intuition has its place in homeschooling, too, which shouldn't be a surprise.  Most homeschooling parents spend a lot of time researching and evaluating curricula, matching the needs of student and teacher with the options available. Despite this, sometimes the parent unknowingly fails. 

Then instinct creeps in. Doubts, questions, maybe even anxiety.  Your child is struggling to learn something.  Or s/he doesn't enjoy a subject any longer.  And your instinct is trying to tell you something....

I've been here recently in my own journeys with my daughter. 

I know she's bright, though not a prodigy in any area.  Just quick, observant, alert, and capable.  The type of child who learns easily and retains a lot of it.  The type of child it would be easy to push and challenge to the point of burn out.  I really wanted to avoid those pitfalls.

But, I realized last spring that I honestly could have started a language arts program geared for first and second graders earlier than I did.  She was ready and, despite her actual age, not really challenged by the materials. 

However, I didn't want to push.  We could go at a reasonable pace, maybe accelerate it a bit, but I wasn't going to push. 

I did start to doubt, though.

I doubted whether I was doing the right thing, challenging her enough, keeping her interested.  And my "gut" - my instincts - kept nagging at me with a, "No...." 

Darn those instincts, though!  I had a plan!  I had guidelines laid out for roughly two years.  Finish this program, then move on to something else, which I'm convinced that she's not ready for now.  I had a plan! 

However, a plan is not the point of homeschooling.  A custom education for a child is. 

And so, the research restarted.  It took a while.  There were "rabbit trails" in my process. Trying to figure out what was out there to fit between what we're doing now and where I believe we are going was more stressful than it first appeared.  And frustration - did I really need to spend money on something more at this point?  Then anxiety - what if I get something and it's not the "right" solution to our problem?

But, as I've started implementing the changes, following my  "homeschool parental instincts," I'm realizing that my gut was right.  This was indeed what was needed.  Language arts have a bit more meat for her and we are filling a gap that I'd overlooked in my cherished "plan." 

More importantly for our journey, though, is that I'm learning to trust my instincts as they apply to our daily educational activities. 

Somedays it may seem that we, as homeschool parents, really don't have a clue how to teach our children.  We may think we aren't "doing it right" (whatever that is!) or that we're ruining them in some way we can't perceive at six, or sixteen. 

If we're doing our homeschool job with reasonable diligence, however, we're actually picking up on so much more about our children and their needs and concerns than we can actually verbalize or mentally tally.  Somehow, we just know what's working and what's not.  And that's so important.

From there, it just takes courage* to follow your instincts and make the changes needed.  The path may not be clear, but trust that you know more than you realize that can help you accomplish your goal.

*(Eyes in the back of your head are optional.)