Did I mention that homeschooling is good for the teacher too? Not only is my young student learning, but so am I. Let me tell you a little secret. Ready?
I don’t know everything.
In fact, there’s a lot of things I don’t remember. I don’t remember the moment I first learned how to read or any of the tricks I was taught myself. I don’t remember how basic math concepts stuck or how I started speaking french rather fluently in Kindergarten. (I was a French immersion student.) And sometimes these forgotten memories are a good thing. It means that my children get a fresh slate as I teach them. I don’t find myself saying “well, I did it this way, so you must…”
One of the biggest topics you learn is your child. Yes, you’ve studied them quite well from the pre-natal days. As they’ve grown day by day, you learn even more. Yet, there’s another aspect to the learning path when you’re now involved in their academic learning. As a teacher-parent, you’re now stretched as you look for ways to try and teach them new concepts. Not just so they’ll complete worksheets and pass the grade level, but so that the concepts actually stick with them for life.
Now to figure out how to squeeze in a few lessons during our Christmas break. The best part is that we’ll leave all books closed and get creative with whiteboards and counting and reading. Things that she’ll remember and not begrudge.