In the past few blogs, we’ve looked at the way a wise and workable routine makes homeschooling easier and how creating a learning environment will invite children into deeper levels of learning.
The third skill that will transform homeschooling from a dreaded or ho-hum experience into a much anticipated activity is learning the attitudes and actions of a “Master Teacher.”
Have you ever sat in the classroom of a Master Teacher? If you’re not sure, then you haven’t. . .
A Master Teacher is one who works to open the door of learning for ALL students; who draws you into the experience in such a way that you are not only a willing participant, but an eager one; who literally brings learning to life!
How do they do it???
The First Step
The first step is to become a servant to your students. This doesn’t mean you do their homework for them. It means that your attitude shifts from being the TEACHER to being the one who helps them learn. The focus is no longer on you but on them. Your work is not to “teach” but to open a door for them to do the hard work of exploring and discovering, of taking in new information and making it usable.
Ask yourself:
“What would make it easier for my child to learn this fact or formula? Where is the obstacle, and how can I help him/her move past it? How do they learn best—and how can I apply that to THIS situation?”
The Second Step
The second step is to become patient with your students. Patience, with a generous dose of kindness, gentleness, and humor, will do more to transform a homeschool than any curriculum on the market. Even if others said to you, “Hurry up! Stop being lazy!! You could do this if you’d just put your mind to it!!!”, you can change that for your children.
Ask yourself:
“What is my heart attitude towards each of my children? Am I impatient, frustrated, and fed up? If so, am I willing to learn a new approach in order that they might flourish and thrive?”
The Third Step
The third step is to add creativity, laughter, and fun to what’s being studied. Every Master Teacher I’ve seen brings this kind of unexpected joy to the classroom. Whether it’s using puppets or pipe cleaners or gathering items from outdoors, there is a sense of wide-eyed anticipation for what this teacher might do next. It takes what could have been a boring, mind-numbing, do-we-have-to-do-this subject and morphs it into a “WOW!! THIS IS SO INTERESTING” experience.
Ask yourself:
“Can I envision homeschooling that looks different than sit down/open your textbook/study the chapter/take the test? Can I be brave enough to try a bit of crazy fun in our homeschool?”
It Takes Time
This is not something that you can do all at once, but you can start now. You can work on all three of these skills, these steps, little by little. I’m here to help.
Check out the post listed below, along with my History Revealed curriculum—which was designed to help ALL learners thrive and flourish as they study history.