For a few weeks now, I have felt the need to lighten up on the amount of book work that I am doing with my kids and replace it with even more "hands on" experiential learning. I have one child who really struggles with reading and spelling and is very sensitive about that and how it affects other subjects. I want to help and thought for several years that just pushing ahead was the best thing to do. Recently however, I have been rethinking that.
With these things stirring in my heart, I went to a homeschool mid-year refresh where the speaker spoke on that very thing. She too had a child who was struggling with reading. It was comforting to hear where her child is now. We all want the best for our kids but sometimes deciding what is the best can be difficult.
More than academic success, I want my children to love the Lord and follow hard after him, be confident in who they are, have close loving relationships around them, and feel completely loved and supported by Peter and I. So, I decided to let it all go.
Do you believe me? Haha.
Well, I didn't really let it ALL go but I am choosing to prioritize relationships over the perfect household and academics. Okay, I just heard all of the gasps. In the end, my children will fill in the gaps. Yes, the gaps that I know will be in their education. I will not teach them every academic truth that is out there. A lifetime wouldn't be enough time for me to squeeze in everything that I want them to know and understand.
My goal is to teach them to love learning and to be self-learners. This way, they will become life-long-learners. That is really the goal. As they grow older, they will pursue the passions that their Creator has put in their hearts. But for now, I want them to ENJOY learning, to feel confident and loved...not stressed out and constantly frustrated. So, we are slowing down a bit on the "book work" and learning about the world around us by experiencing it.
We may not finish every page of our unit studies again this year...did I just say that?...yes, I did. Last year, we did not complete every page of the curriculum but we learned together...even down to the littles. My four year old can tell you all about Norway:)
If it comes down to my children being scholars or feeling loved and supported by me...I choose loved and supported:)
I'm not perfect at it but this is the road that I have chosen in this journey. I learn more with every step...and there is peace in the home:)...well maybe I should say more peace in the home. It will take a while for a couple of my kids to relax and begin to enjoy learning again. But when that happens, they will truly blossom as learners.
It is one of those things that makes me wish I could go back and start over again in the homeschooling journey. But, at least my guinea pigs are teaching me tons so that my little ones can have it really good when they start school...haha.
This has not changed my use of scheduling, lists, and color coding but I'm just finding ways to make learning fun and experiential.
What an amazing journey this is!
No comments:
Post a Comment