I love new days, new years, new opportunities! There is an invigorating freshness when we start new, isn’t there? All things are possible.
And, for homeschool parents, this is a great time to bring fresh eyes to this age-old challenge: how DO we balance building character and academics? After all, academics is a big deal. It’s half our job title: Homeschool (Parent). It occupies most of our waking hours and we think about it through many sleepless nights.
How do I teach Sally that 2×2=4?
When will Bobby finally read on his own?
Should Jessica take the pre-SAT tests this year, and have I taught her everything she needs to know?
This makes sense. It is logical, measurable, and students can win awards with this stuff.
Character, on the other hand, is not so much taught as caught. What I mean is that, if we read a book on generosity to our kids, for example, will that make them generous? Obviously not. . . If only it were that simple!
In many ways, our kids will pattern their character after us. If they observe our honesty, if they see that we highly value honesty, and if we lovingly call them to the same standard, honesty will become foundational in their lives. And, contrarily, if our kids see us lie and cheat, they will learn that character lesson from us.
The somewhat uncomfortable truth is that, when it comes to character, we are the textbook our children are reading. What a good thing that it is a NEW YEAR and we can have a fresh start!
Okay. So, we have logical, measurable academics and the real deal of our kids learning about character from us. Now, how do we balance the two? Do we spend 4 hours a day on academic lessons and 4 hours a day on developing character? What do real people do?
To answer this, let me ask you a question:
How do you balance eating and sleeping?
It’s obvious, isn’t it? You eat when you’re hungry and you sleep when the lights go out. You aren’t puzzled about this. You seldom sit down to a meal and wonder, “Oh, dear, should I eat or sleep?” The situation (and your body’s needs) give obvious clues to what is appropriate.
In the same way, academics and character-building provide obvious clues. When Mary asks, “Mom, what is a preposition?”, you know that what is needed is an academic explanation (and maybe some fun “Preposition Charades”). When Jimmy says, “Mom, Willie took my truck and won’t give it back!”, you know that it is time to talk with Willie and Jimmy about respecting one another’s property AND sharing.
You are good at this! You’re the mom!! Enjoy the journey!!!
This is one of my articles from The Homeschool Minute. Here’s where to subscribe: www.TheHomeschoolMinute.com
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