High school daughter’s foray into college applications has led us into uncharted territory–Pre-Calculus. As we dive into each day’s lesson my mother’s desire to give her child the best education possible rivals the continual refrain circling in my brain, “I’m not in high school any more–why do I have to do this?!” More to the point–can I do this? How do I teach something that is so complicated and so beyond my expertise?
Therein lies the constant challenge of home schooling–and the constant hope. Personally, I think our students out-perform students from other schooling approaches precisely because we are learning with them. Instead of being fed information by someone so familiar with the concepts they have become rote, our children get a front row seat to watch the processes their parent uses to take information they don’t understand and find a way to understand.
My husband recently affirmed this observation. A multi-award winning professor, he said, “I’m not as good a professor as I used to be because the material is all so easy for me now. I was better when I struggled. I could understand my students’ struggles. As they watched me figure something out, they learned how to as well.”
So . . .for all of us facing the challenge of teaching what we don’t understand, a few tips.
- Pray–out loud–for the Holy Spirit’s help. What better opportunity to teach our children the daily habit of relying on the Holy Spirit for wisdom–both in spiritual matters and in the daily challenges we face?
- Be honest about the hardships you face. This normalizes hardship. Instead of believing that they are inherently inferior because school doesn’t come easily, our children learn that people struggle. Get used to it–find a way through it. As you openly talk yourself through a math process or spend the time on the computer to track down sources for a research paper, our children gain insights on steps they can take. They see learning unfold.
- Break information down. People tend to feel overwhelmed when there is too much information or they are not sure what to do with the information they have. Take smaller chunks–work through those at the slower of the child’s pace or yours. It doesn’t really matter that the curriculum says that Lesson 58 should be done today. If child (or parent) needs more time–take it. We’re going for actual learning–not check marks on a curriculum guide. When children (or parents) don’t feel rushed, they can relax. That makes learning easier. I once had a child stuck on an Algebra concept for two months. Every day we worked the type problems that challenged. I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong or what to do better. Then, all of a sudden–it clicked. That child went on to ace the course. Patience paid off.
- Seek help. God puts us in community for a reason–to share the gifts He gives to build up each other. We concretely show our children how to humbly seek out fellow believers in their strengths when they see us do so. At the same time, be ready to humbly come alongside others who benefit from our strengths. In this way we build the body of Christ in very practical ways.
- Celebrate the victories. When the light bulb goes on and a hard concept finally sinks in–celebrate. Break out ice cream. Use colorful stickers. Dance a little jig. Openly thank God for His help. The incentives from victories feed the spirit of perseverance for the next challenge.
As home schoolers we spend a lot of time teaching what we don’t understand. Rather than our greatest weakness, I think this becomes our greatest strength as we visibly rely on God’s help, demonstrate to our children how to persevere through a challenge, and celebrate all the ways God reveals His truth to us daily.
Tess Worrell writes and speaks to groups regarding issues of family life and living as a Godly woman. She and husband, Mike Worrell, live in Madison, Indiana, where they are in their 14th year of home schooling. She would love to hear your insights. Comment here or email her at tess@YourFamilyMatterstous.com. If you would like Tess to speak to your home school or church group, you can learn more about her speaking at YourFamilyMatterstous.com.