*Warning, Warning* Does that imaginary flashing red light ever appear over your head, or your child’s head, when things have begun to go south in school? Whether your kids are traditionally schooled or homeschooled, it’s likely that at some time, you’ve arrived at a point in the school year where you’ve had to take a step back and reconsider what is happening. You know when you’ve reached this point when you start seeing lots of mistakes, a clear lack of understanding, no viable information recall, and lots of resistance and/or frustration from your children. There are some subjects that are notoriously trickier than others. These are the subjects, of course, when this situation is more likely to happen. Don’t worry! It’s going to be okay! I’ve got a plan for you!
The number one subject that I have encountered this scenario happening in is MATH. (Insert ominous “Dun, dun, dun.”) Yes, for some students, math is a breeze, and they hardly ever struggle. Some even enjoy the subject! What a blessing! Other students, however, do have some struggles in math. Sometimes…actually commonly…parts need to be repeated and/or reviewed frequently in order for understanding to occur. Although I’ve used math as an example here, remember, this is pretty common in many subjects…science and English grammar are two more.
Let me tell you what we have experienced several times throughout our homeschooling years. I have children who would rather be outside or doing artwork than doing school. Sound familiar? Sometimes, no matter how much I plan to avoid this, we get into “robot mode” in certain subjects. What I mean is that school grows monotonous, and assignments are technically “completed,” but optimal learning has not happened. In fact, *gulp* maybe even no learning. This makes my teacher heart so sad!!! Oftentimes, it takes a week (or a few weeks) to discover, especially for older students who complete more work on their own. But when I see this trend, we stop right where we are. Going further would be futile anyways, if our focus is real, valuable learning.
We stop. We reassess. We take a small break. We back up. We review what was missed, and THEN we move forward. Some feel that doing this might somehow put their student behind for the year. I want to assure you that it’s quite the opposite that happens! Once any rough spots have been reworked, ironed out, whatever you want to call it, we are able to zoom ahead at full speed once more. To help put this concept into perspective, think of it in these terms: If your car’s tires are stuck in the mud, do you continue to stomp on the gas, thus spinning the muddy tires deeper and deeper until there’s no hope of escape? No! You stop what you were doing (that wasn’t working!), and approach the problem from a new angle. Maybe you try rocking the car free. If that technique doesn’t work, you try a new one. Maybe the key is to get some boards wedged under the tire to get between the mucky mud and the rubber. At any rate, you don’t just abandon the car, right?
So, next time a school subject gets a bit “sticky,” try going down this checklist to get out of the rut and back onto the smooth road.
School Reboot Checklist:
- Pause forward progress attempts.
- Take a few days’ break.
- Assess the subject at hand to determine how long ago the problems began.
- Back up to the point you discovered the problem began.
- Re-teach as if the topic is brand new/has never been taught. (*PRO TIP: Look for new ways to present the information that are different than the first way that didn’t sink in.*)
- Re-teach any subsequent lessons (even if it seems like a lot of them!) on the road to getting back on track.
- ENCOURAGE your students with praise and even their favorite treat/outing to keep their brains in a positive frame of mind, since learning is much easier when the heart is light.
- Ta-Da! You’re doing it! Keep on persevering through the remainder of the school year, repeating this process as needed.
So, my dear mama friends, if your kids’ school year needs a re-boot already, it’s OK! And if you need another one in a little while again, it’s also OK! The important thing is that our children will be able to look back and know that their parents never gave up on helping them learn; and that they are valued enough to put the hard work in and get things done in the most loving and beneficial way we knew how! They will see your love. Right now, they might fuss at you, but I promise that when they’re grown, they will see your precious heart. Keep on looking for the joy in your schooling…it will be there!