Hate of Learning: One Cause and a Possible Remedy

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative, Organization

Published with Permission
Written by Andrew Pudewa
www.TOSMagazine.com

When one of my daughters was around 12 years old, we faced a significant problem with her motivation and quality of work. Her “school” days went pretty much like this: She would get up, do everything on her checklist with as little effort as possible (often being “finished” by 10:00 a.m.), and then spend the rest of the day snacking and annoying everyone else in the house. When confronted about the quality of her work, she would counter, “I did it—what more do you want?” When it was pointed out to her that she was “finished” in a couple of hours and that perhaps she could have a bit more added to her checklist, an ugly, hormone-enhanced argument would ensue: “I’m already doing everything I have to. More wouldn’t be fair! How come you want to make my life miserable? I’m doing enough, okay? Can you just leave me alone?”

Sound familiar? If you have a large enough family, you’re likely to have at least one child who develops this attitude at some point, which might be appropriately termed “Hate of Learning” stage. The danger, of course, is that Mom and Dad start thinking evil thoughts such as “We’re failing her . . . maybe we should put her in a good school . . . of course, she wouldn’t necessarily spend any more time studying, but at least she’d be out of our hair for a while . . . maybe we just need to be more strict . . . .” Such were the thoughts my wife and I entertained at that time. Fortunately, I came across a possible strategy that involved neither sending her to school nor using a heavy-handed approach. (more…)

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10 Secrets to Surviving the Long Haul of Homeschooling

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative, Organization

Published with Permission
by Denise Mira
www.denisemira.com/blog
www.TOSMagazine.com

It’s February. The leftover frozen Christmas cookies have been consumed, the unwanted gifts have (finally!) been exchanged, that protracted euphoric sense of holiday freedom lingering through December and January has ended, and all your excuses for “not doing normal school” have run dry. (No,Mom, Super Bowl Sunday isn’t considered a long weekend!)

It’s that time of year on the school calendar. You’re “in between” in the dead of winter—sort of like the Laura Ingalls Wilder family in the late 1800s, rolling across the desolate, flat, blustery plains of the Midwest in their rustic covered wagon, with no . . . end . . . in . . . sight. And, most definitely, no 7-Elevens to stop at for a Big Gulp!

The remaining stretch of terrain lying before you can appear particularly daunting this time of year. I know, because I’ve been there. Our “wagon” was packed with five busy boys and led by two public school-educated, first-generation, homeschooling pioneer parents: hubby and me, who were intent on changing the world—but without much practical preparation.

As you know, beginning is always more exciting than continuing. That’s why so many people give up in the middle. But if we’ll persist, it’s amazing how much treasure is hidden along the way. Here are ten secrets I’ve unearthed as I’ve journeyed for thirty-one years in marriage and over twenty years in home education. If you’ll take them to heart, these nuggets of gold are guaranteed to propel you forward with momentum! (more…)

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57 Questions

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative, Organization, Preschoolers

Written with Permission
By Kendra Fletcher
www.TOSMagazine.com

You may have heard this before, but I think we all need to be reminded: Putting a routine into place will be the single most helpful weapon in your arsenal to assure homeschooling success. At the very least, having a routine (or a schedule or a battle plan or a flow chart) will bring a measure of peace to your home simply because you won’t have to fly by the seat of your pants and think through decisions all day long.

Those decisions are exhausting, and often they are the deal breakers for me—questions like these: What’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner? Where do you want me to put this finished worksheet? When can we go to the craft store to buy more paint? How many pages do I have to read? Can I give the dog a bath in your bathroom? Times about 500 hundred. Seriously. (more…)

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