With regular school the child has two sets of different adults in his life – parents and teachers. The authority of the teachers is evident in the classroom and the parents are part of the more approachable family group. This clear demarcation does not exist with homeschool students. The parent has a double role to play, that of teacher in the homeschool classroom and that of parent in the rest of the home. Does discipline suffer due to this? Not if you deal with the problem proactively.
[am4show have=’p8;p9;p11;p38;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]
Pick your goals and prioritize them
As parent and teacher you want your home school students to learn some specific skill sets. These skill sets comprise of your goals. At the beginning of the year sit down and prioritize these goals. You need to know what you want your child to learn. Some of these goals will be non-negotiable. These are essential things that your child needs to learn to survive. Others may be negotiable wherein the skills that you think are necessary and the ones that the child actually wants to learn can be discussed with the child. Be strict about adhering to discipline when teaching the non-negotiable skills. This will allow the child to see that you are serious about them.
Disciplinary action does not always have to mean punishment
Classical Conditioning proves that there is the need for a carrot and a stick when something new has to be taught. At the same time it is possible to substitute punishment with something not quite as unpleasant. Rather than applying a negative stimulus like hitting the child it would make more sense to take away something that the child treasures. Such as limiting the time he has on the internet or television viewing time. The more desirable the item the stronger the message sent to the child.
Look at the child’s motives
Motivation can be the key to solving disciplinary issues in the homeschool classroom and elsewhere. If the child is not motivated to learn the lesson you are trying to teach you will have problems. So rather than forcing the child to learn, try to motivate the child by making him interested in the subject that you are trying to teach. Take a new track, make things interesting, talk about application in the real world. You will notice an immediate change in the child’s attitude.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
[/am4show]
The recommendations have helped me with the recent struggle of motivating and keeping the inspiration alive in my pre-pubescent 10 yr old. Thank You!