Homeschooling Online - Are You A Perceptive Homeschooling Parent?
Do you consider yourself to be a perceptive parent? If not, you really should learn to become one. In homeschooling, the perceptive parent is fully aware that there are many different ways to learn something, and they trust their instincts and their children to know which way are best for them.
The perceptive parent knows that most children need significant amounts of quiet time so that they can think and process what they have learned. Research shows that children who are good at fantasizing are better learners and cope better with disappointment than those who do not have this ability. Keep in mind that quiet time does not have to the same for everyone – it simply is a time when children are left alone to discover and process things on their own.
Fully-scheduled school hours and extracurricular activities leave children with very little time for them to dream, to think, to invent solutions to problems, to cope with stressful experiences, and simply to fulfill the universal need for solitude and privacy.
The perceptive parent also knows that children are not afraid to admit to their own ignorance and make mistakes when in a safe environment. Homeschooling can provide this type of environment for children - free from the intimidation of public embarrassment and the ability to keep their openness to new exploration. Children learn by asking questions, not by answering them.
Homeschoolers learn directly about the world by being in it through such events as going to museums, theatres, zoos etc. Ironically, the most common objection about homeschooling is that children are “being deprived of the real world.”
Most perceptive parents understand how difficult it is for their children to learn something when they are being rushed, threatened, or given failing grades. While it is necessary for kids to learn to deal with pressure and be able to work under deadlines, parents need to know when to press a little harder or back off for a while. Often times, public schools have to adopt different principles due to the hardship that occurs in teaching a large number of same-age children at the same time.
The structure of most traditional schools (required attendance, school-selected topics and books, and constant checking of the child’s progress) assumes that children are not learners by nature. The approach used is that kids must be compelled to learn through the efforts of others.
The perceptive parent recognizes that natural learners do not need to be in this type of structure. The success of self-directed learning strongly implies that structured approaches can inhibit both learning and personal development for some children.
Homeschooling Online