03/28/2020
I have been wanting to post something inspirational, wise, and empathic about the new reality we are all facing with schooling at home. I got nothing! Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m winging it like the rest of you, trying to get my kids to do their work and get assignments handed in on time. I’m stressed out and scared at times just like everybody else. For the fear, I have two friends in a group text, and we are holding each other accountable to limiting our time watching the news, spending time in prayer and time in the word. For the adjustment to schooling at home, again, I’m winging it.
I decided to swallow my pride and ask for help. I reached out to a friend who homeschools. I needed help embracing this new reality of distance learning. I cried when I read her advice. I cried tears of relief, tears of joy, tears because I felt loved, loved by her and loved by my Heavenly Father. She gave me permission to share her advice publicly with the hope that it will help others.
Jennifer Gilbert is an amazing mom, Jesus follower, and homeschool teacher. Below are her words of wisdom that were a healing balm to my soul. I pray they will serve to shine the light of Christ’s love far and wide for anyone who needs to hear them!
1. Pace yourself. Traditional homeschooling is a marathon – not a sprint. Given that your school district is dictating their coursework, this may be a little more difficult than if you were homeschooling rather than distance learning, but you can find a rhythm that works for you and your kids. Learning does not have to happen in the morning. It could happen after dinner. It could happen after lunch. Fit the schoolwork into your life not fit your life into the schoolwork.
2. Perfection does not exist (unless you’re Jesus, and we know you’re not.) Your children are learning – they’re not masters, yet. It’s okay if they make mistakes. It’s okay if they don’t get it right off the bat. You know what? It’s okay if you don’t either. It doesn’t make you unqualified or inadequate. It makes you human. Most traditional homeschool parents spend A LOT of time researching methods of teaching, different curricula, & different approaches to learning – probably more than they spend actual teaching. It’s okay if you do that, too. It doesn’t matter that this situation may be temporary for you. You’ll learn so much about children. They’re only little for so long. Embrace this time rather than looking at it as a chore. You don’t have to be certified teacher to teach your children.
3. One rule of thumb that many home educators follow is 15 minutes of instruction per year of age. If you look at a typical public/private school day, there are many students per teacher. Time has to be given so that each child receives the attention they need, time to address behavioral issues, bathroom breaks, lunch, recess, etc. At home, this takes a lot less time. Your children have your undivided attention (hopefully). You do not have to plan their every waking moment. Give them time to play (a lot of time play). Read to them – even your big kids. Find ways to augment what the school is sending them to learn – this could be a neat video online, a puzzle, a story, a walk through your neighborhood, or just talking about when you were kid. Talk to your children.
4. Time management is key. One method I use with one of my children is the Pomodoro Technique. This requires a timer. Basically, you set the timer for 25 minutes; your child focuses on their work for 25 minutes then takes a short break. I usually augment the break with a treat of some kind. It gives him something to work toward and makes it more likely that he will use his 25 minutes actively focusing on the subject at hand. Some subjects take two settings of the timer.
5. Don’t try to replicate what someone else is doing. Don’t compare yourself to someone else either. Comparison is the thief of joy. Every child is unique. They learn differently, think differently, have different strengths and weaknesses. What works for one may not work for another. Take a few days and understand what motivates your child. Do they need a structured day? Do they thrive in an unstructured setting? Do they need movement in order to learn? Do they require more visually stimulating information? Are they more auditory? This relates a lot to #2 and that research I talked about. One of my children is visual. The other is kinesthetic/visual. He wiggles. All the time. Which drives me insane if you want me to be perfectly honest, but it helps him, so I have to get over it and give him a way to express that movement while I’m teaching him.
6. Begin your learning day doing something together. For us, this means bible study, prayer, and memorization. This helps get your children in the mindset to learn, it sets the tone for your day, and lets you spend quality time with each child before they begin their own learning pursuits.
7. Even if you’re doing a pre-determined set of tasks from the school district, let your child pick one thing that interests them to learn while they’re home. Do they enjoy music? Robots? Engineering? Dinosaurs? Writing? Whatever it may be, let them pursue that interest on their own time with no set limits other than they are to spend that time actively pursuing it.
8. Have fun! You will never get this time with your children back again. Make the most of it. Your children will thrive under attention if you give yourself the permission to enjoy it. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, you didn’t sign up for this, but you’re here now. Embrace it. “And who knows but that you have come to your [teaching] position for such a time as this?”
