Homeschooling is going to be a lot different for Jaden next year. For the last four years I've been very involved with his schoolwork, often teaching the lesson directly or reading aloud from the history or science book. I spent a lot of time reviewing what we talked about, and I felt each of the kids retained a lot of what we talked about.
But next year — well, I could more appropriately say next month — Jaden is going to be in 7th grade (officially), and he'll be doing almost all of his schoolwork on his own. That means reading his lessons and doing his work independently. Without me there to help him learn it.
And that scares me.
Now, before you start thinking I'm just some paranoid, homeschooling mom (which I will admit to at times), let me explain.
I'm sure you realize that some people have naturally good study skills — and that some people don't. I think a lot of that stems from an inborn desire to learn; but the truth is some children naturally learn better on their own than others.
When I was in jr. high and high school, I was the kind of student who could pick up a textbook, read it, and then ace the test. But as soon as I handed in that test paper, I forgot everything I had just learned. Sure, I was a 4.0 student all through high school, but did it really serve me very well in real life?
No.
What good was it if I couldn't remember anything I had learned for the long-term?
You see, I was able to "do the work," but I really wasn't learning anything. Any teacher of mine would have said I was a great student and had excellent study skills. But was that really true?
I'm not saying that I went through my entire school career and learned absolutely nothing, but I sure didn't learn what I could have learned had I really known how to study for the long-term, not just for the short-term.
And that's what makes me a bit anxious about this next school year. Jaden is very much like I was at his age. He's very bright and has a quick mind when he applies himself, but he often struggles with looking at the big picture, looking beyond the next chapter. Like I did at his age, Jaden sees his school work as a means to an end. Schoolwork is there to finish. Period. End of sentence. And the joy of learning? He hasn't quite found that yet.
Now, I've obviously changed since I was a child. I absolutely adore learning now. In fact, I'd much rather sit down with a science or history book than watch TV most of the time. But I lament having wasted those years in school when I could have learned so much more.
So what about my son? How can I help him to look at learning beyond the next chapter, beyond the next test?
I don't expect him to jump for joy when he see his assignment list for the week, but I do hope that he'll one day be able to approach his school work with a different perspective, to strive to learn for the long-term so that he remembers what he learns for the rest of his life.
Sure, we've talked to Jaden about how to approach assignments properly. How to organize information in his mind. How to memorize information easily.
But how do I help him implement what we've taught him? How do I help him look at each new assignment as something new to learn, not just one more task to be endured? How can I help ensure that he's going to retain at least some of the information he'll be learning in his books next year?
Any suggestions?
Now it's your turn to link up. Do you have a homeschool- or education-related post? What has worked for you in educating your children? What did you do this week to satisfy your kids' thirst for knowledge?
And remember, you don't have to be a homeschooler to link up; all parents take part in educating their kids. Link up below. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say.
How to Participate:
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
No suggestions, just commiseration. You sound just like me in school and your son's attitudes toward learning and schoolwork sound just like my kids'. Unfortunately, I don't think most of us appreciate the joy of learning until we're older.
Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers´s last blog ..Our 2009-2010 Curriculum
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Joy, I can somewhat relate, as my oldest son also enters 7th grade this year.
I also sense this struggle to move toward more independent learning. Partly because he tends to be an auditory learner. He really thrives when I read the lesson through. Reading isn't the issue, he just needs to hear it.
Also, I have to realize that some subjects will always just be school subjects to him. Despite strong math skills he dislikes the subject. That's just how it is.
However, science he could study all day long. I also wish that baseball was a core subject, because me son would get an 'A' in baseball strategy, history, rules, records, etc. I do use this to my advantage when I can work it into his school subjects.
I think it frustrates me at times because I thought that all my homeschooled children would just love to learn and wander around with their noses in books, wittily peppering their conversations with quotes from Shakespeare.
I guess I can just hope that some day they will love to learn and might regret a little of the time lost under my amazing tutelage.
(Sorry for rambling a bit. All that to say, I hear where you are coming from).
[Reply]
My third child is entering grade 7 next year. Although each child is different, it is important to realize that not all children will be interested in each subject.
I think it is important to insist on good work in all areas, but to allow time to explore areas of interest. That's when the real learning takes place, it seems, and it spills back into the subject areas. I'm also discovering how quickly areas of interest can change! That's a good thing, too, because the more a person is interested in, the more he or she learns about the world in general.
I'm sorry but I forgot to put a brief summary of my post with my name in Mr Linky, so I resubmitted it. Could you delete the one without the summary? Thank you.
Annie Kate
Annie Kate
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Well Joy, we have even more in common. I was always a perfect student, but my motivation was the grade, not the learning. Except for math, I don't remember what I learned in school. If it was a subject I could understand, then I would remember how to do it after the test, but otherwise forget it. I shudder to think how much of my college education I have now forgotten. Don't ask me about my organic chemistry final!
I do love to learn now though, but I get to choose what I want to learn. I have been discouraged about my son's attitude, but there are some things that he really gets into. Maybe we're expecting too much for them to love learning about everything. I don't think I would find physical chemistry very interesting if I had to go and take it again. Just because I love history now, doesn't mean that my son will. (Though my loving it should help.) If he doesn't love it, that's ok. But I still want him to study it.
Kristen´s last blog ..Strange Homeschoolers
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Thank you for hosting this meme-it's a great idea!
Wish I had a full proof way of inspiring each of my kids. We read (and listen on audio) to many good books and I'm hoping that will create an appetite for them to want to learn.
I too disliked school very much and am now trying to teach my kids the way I wish I'd been taught.
-Dusti
Dusti ´s last blog ..Thirsty Thursday
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