Handout for HECOA teleseminar

I’ve posted the handout for my teleseminar here in case you have trouble downloading it.

 “Principles for Happy Home Educating Families”

 My vision for this seminar is that it would reach new and veteran homeschoolers who feel overwhelmed, stressed, and/or a little unsure. I would hope that each person who tunes in would leave with the feeling that home education is not nearly so hard as we often make it for ourselves. I would hope for them to leave feeling a renewed sense of trust in themselves and in their abilities to provide a fantastic education for their children. I would hope for them to leave feeling hopeful and joyful about their choice to homeschool and committed to enjoy it even more.

Sometime ago my friend Christy (also a veteran homeschooling mom) and I were visiting about homeschooling and she wondered what a “7 Habits of Highly Effective Homeschoolers” list would look like. This list would probably be different for each homeschooling family, but the idea really intrigued me and I was able to quickly jot down the main ideas that I would put on my list; the things that I, as a veteran homeschooling mom, would share as the important habits homeschooling families. Or perhaps just as accurately…the things I wish that I could go back and tell the me who was just beginning home education all those years ago (15 to be exact).

I turned the title (imitating The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) around a bit because I would want to de-emphasize the “effective” part and emphasize happiness instead. While we do want to be effective homeschoolers, I don’t believe that this is really our ultimate goal. Keep asking yourself the question “why?” and you will sooner or later come to the bottom of it all. I think that our ultimate goal for our children and ourselves is happiness…as in “Men are that they might have joy.” We want our children to be successful…why?…so that they will be happy. I would submit that happiness is the end goal of what we do in our families. These items on my list are really principles more than they are habits. Application of these principles will help us to find joy and happiness in our homes and in our homeschooling.

Principles have many different applications and will be applied in different ways depending on the circumstance, family, or need. So, rather than being method based (I could never tell another parent how to homeschool), my list is a principle based list and I believe that every homeschooling family can apply these principles as they seek for happiness in their homeschooling. I believe that these principles…applied in the ways which work best for each family…will help homeschooling families to educate at home with peace, joy, and confidence. I’d love to share it with others.

Here is the list of principles…yes, I know, it’s more than 7…and probably growing.

• Simplify
• Balance
• Trust
• Lead Out
• Enjoy
• Love
• Individualize
• Look for Principles
• Keep the “eye single”

Simplify

• Simplify your family life (home, routines, physical “stuff”, etc.)
• Simplify your schedule/activities.
• Simplify your goals…what really matters most?

Balance

• Work with play.
• Activity with “down time.
• Structure with Latitude…Flexible structure.

Trust

• Trust yourself…your intuition, your instincts, your “gut”…or your heart.
• Trust your children. Trust that they are growing and learning in the way that is best for them.  Trust their hopes, desires, dreams, preferences, time tables for growth, etc.
• Trust the Lord (or your higher power… whatever your word for this concept). Trust that you will be given or be able to find the answers that you need personally for your individual family and situations.

Lead Out

• Show the way…be the example. Read and study for yourself…enjoy it. Study things that you are passionate about. Let your children see that passion. Share your excitement about what you are learning.
• Consider the difference between a shepherd (who leads) and a sheep herder (one who pushes).

Enjoy

• Find peace.
• Find beauty.
• Enjoy the small moments. Enjoy being with your children. Your years with them are short.

Love

• Love life.
• Love your children…just love them first…all else will come. The best environment for learning is one in which the child knows he is loved. Many “mistakes” are remediated quickly and easily when children know that you love them. Children are forgiving. They don’t expect you to be perfect, but they do need you to love them. At the end of the day, if you child knows his math facts, but doesn’t know you love him and hasn’t felt that loving connection with you, then not only have you decreased your effectiveness with your child, but you are also missing out on the best that home education has to offer.
• Love what you study. Only use books and curriculum that you love. Be passionate about life and learning.

Individualize

• Study your children first. What are their strengths and passions? What are they interested in?
• Find curriculum second. What will best meet this individual child’s needs? What will most interest him/her? What would be the most enjoyable learning methods and environments for this child?

Principles first

• As you consider how to structure your home, think principles…not methods. There are no “recipes” which fit every family or even every child within the same family. The habits listed so far are all principles. Principles can be applied in many circumstances. The way a principle is applied will look different depending on the circumstance. Homeschooling does not look the same in every family. It does not look the same for each child. It does not even look the same every year for a given family or child. THAT is the beauty of home education!

Eye Single

• This is my way of saying “focus on what matters most”. The concept of course is biblical (Matthew 6:22), but the principle applies whether you take the bible to be your guide or not. Keep your eye focused on the ultimate goals…the things that matter most to you and to your family and children. Don’t get caught up in the minutiae which don’t matter. Focus on the ultimate goals first and the methods, curriculums, etc. will follow. Be careful of buying someone else’s “package”, curriculum or otherwise, before you’ve determined what you want to teach. What to teach comes before how you teach…and who you teach comes before what you teach. Spend time on this and the rest will fall into place.

 

If these ideas and principles “ring true” for you, then you might be interested in visiting my blog or facebook page sometime. I can be found at homeeducatedmom.wordpress.com. You can also “like” my facebook page either directly from my blog, or by looking for me under Home Educated Mom. I’d love to have you stop in for a visit sometime…and be sure to leave a comment or two. I love knowing that I’ve connected with someone out there.

I wish you the best in your home as you home educate your children. May you find all of the joy and happiness that is there for you in your own unique home education lifestyle!

I am in the process of posting blogs on each of these principles. You can find the first one here.