I will admit that the thoughts expressed in this post aren't too ingenious. Frankly, they are rather obvious. Still, in the daily rush of things here, I sometimes need to remember the basics.
I mentioned in an earlier post that our current emphasis in our homeschooling requires more of me as a teacher. The boys don't need much help filling out workbooks, but I need to lead discussions and ask insightful questions in our current mode.
Now that I've been teaching intensively for a couple of weeks, I've come to realize the biggest factor in determining whether I reach the boys and make a difference to them on any given day. Surprisingly, it's not the amount of sleep they've gotten or if they've had plenty of opportunity to run off their boundless energy. Nor is it their access to television or computer games. All of those things matter, but they are not the most important factor as far as I can tell.
No, the biggest factor seems to be what I bring to the table. Am I really there for them, present and listening to what they have to say and ask? Or is my mind at least partly preoccupied with the doctor's appointments that need to be made, how many chapters I think we need to cover, or how I am going to fit in the business billing this month?
When I am able to put all of the other stuff aside and focus on helping my sons delve into the subject at hand and discover the depth and complexity it may hold, those are the most magical moments. And those are also the same moments that confirm for me that we were correct to choose to homeschool.
If I could only act on this realization consistently, I really wonder how far we could go?
I mentioned in an earlier post that our current emphasis in our homeschooling requires more of me as a teacher. The boys don't need much help filling out workbooks, but I need to lead discussions and ask insightful questions in our current mode.
Now that I've been teaching intensively for a couple of weeks, I've come to realize the biggest factor in determining whether I reach the boys and make a difference to them on any given day. Surprisingly, it's not the amount of sleep they've gotten or if they've had plenty of opportunity to run off their boundless energy. Nor is it their access to television or computer games. All of those things matter, but they are not the most important factor as far as I can tell.
No, the biggest factor seems to be what I bring to the table. Am I really there for them, present and listening to what they have to say and ask? Or is my mind at least partly preoccupied with the doctor's appointments that need to be made, how many chapters I think we need to cover, or how I am going to fit in the business billing this month?
When I am able to put all of the other stuff aside and focus on helping my sons delve into the subject at hand and discover the depth and complexity it may hold, those are the most magical moments. And those are also the same moments that confirm for me that we were correct to choose to homeschool.
If I could only act on this realization consistently, I really wonder how far we could go?
