Monday, December 30, 2013

Finding Meaning

I always hope that everything I teach my children has meaning for them. I'm sure all homeschoolers feel that way. We believe it is important for them, or we really enjoyed learning it, and so we teach it. It's like trying to create or pick out meaningful gifts for family. Sometimes they look at it quickly and set it aside for the next thing (hopefully with a thank you). Sometimes we miss seeing them pick it up later, in a quiet moment, and it becomes one of their favorite presents. Sometimes you hit on just the right thing and the recipient stops to admire it and show it to others.

Mini boxes I decorated with photos of my grandparents for my parents.
Meaningful learning is tricky. Children are not always ready for what we want to teach them. While a subject might be dear to our hearts, our children may face it like an ugly monster that they must either cower before or conquer so that they may do something they find more rewarding. I love writing, but none of my children have shown interest in it. I would love it if they all had journals or blogs that they wrote in regularly, but they don't. And that's OK. I didn't care for math or history until I taught it to my oldest. Some things take time to appreciate. One of the things I have learned over the years is that all of those things we thought were important will only stay with our children if they find the topics meaningful. Presentation helps, but each child will take only what touches them personally. That's why they don't all turn out exactly the same.

Meaning comes from really looking at the child and learning what he or she finds important.  Expand on the child's interests and offer--don't force--topics that build on those interests. It means you might have to be creative and step out of your comfort zone, but that's good. You are modeling the behavior you want them to learn.


~*~The Family~*~ said...

Love the boxes, what a great gift.

Inner Elder said...

What makes the above gift so meaningful to me (the recipient) is that I feel like I am receiving a piece of you, the creator. I think of all the thought and loving preparation, all the time,work and yes, even the frustration you took upon yourself. And I think "Wow" how lucky I am to have such a loving daughter! You have said it all in this blog. My grandkids are very fortunate to have you teaching them. Thank you again. Love, Mom

Paula Vince said...

It's the vital ingredient, that's for sure. If it's not there, it doesn't matter how great the lesson planning might be, and if it is, it can be impromptu and slapdash, but still make an impact. Lovely boxes, by the way.
I hope you all have a wonderfully fulfilling and satisfying 2014.

Kez said...

Definitely. It can take a while to learn to not force your own interests on your child, but to introduce things and let them choose their own path. It's something I still struggle with sometimes.

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