Homeschooling – The Vision
I am pleased to announce that the worst is behind us; my son is on the mend. I am most grateful for all of your prayers and notes.
Now that our entire life has been interrupted by his illness, I have the job of trying to get him back on task. Not an easy job. He’s grown so used to laying around and sitting around that it’s hard to get him moving on even the smallest of household chores. I’m sure as his health improves, so will his willingness to help out — or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
On a brighter note, I want to “share an article with you today, written by Diane Flynn Keith, a long-time homeschool advocate, coach and mentor. She is one of the most upbeat women I know and has made an huge impact in my own life as well as our homeschooling and family life.
Her words today really encouraged me to plot my course carefully. We have worked hard to live the life we want but I believe there is always room for improvement. I’m not pleased that my son hates math and fights me tooth and nail on it, if I push. So, I try to find sneaky ways of exposing him to math.
I can’t get him to write a composition but he’ll write scripts for imaginary characters all day long, if I’d let him. As long as he’s writing something, I feel I’m winning the battle.
Knowing this about my son, we’ve implemented a word a day program. Using the , he selects a new word each day which he must spell, define and use during the day to communicate. It’s been a lot of fun and my son seems to enjoy the activity.
As parents we must pick our battles. I know that so long as he reads well and can communicate effectively he will be okay. The rest will come.
I’d have to say that one of my goals for the year is to promote a peaceful household, free from conflict and strife. I firmly believe that we can homeschool and get things accomplished without fighting and conflict. After all it’s not my goal to drive my son crazy over math. I’m sure there are times, he just feels like I’m trying to torture him. So, I’ve decided to let him sort of guide the way and see where he takes us. I’ll continue to use so-called “teaching moments” to encourage him to step outside of his comfort zone. Wish me luck.
Please take a moment and read, “Planning Your Vision for Homeschooling (and The Life You Really Want)” and think about the direction your own family is headed. I’d love to read your comments about your family goals.