I’m not sure who said it first, but I’ll say it second. “A child will always learn best when he has a teacher who loves him.”
That sounds awfully romantic, perhaps bringing to mind sweet children in adorable pyjamas, staring into their father’s eyes as he reads poetry from a rocking chair. Nevertheless, it is true. While our concept of love is overly romanticized, it is still the one ingredient necessary to teach a child. And that is where our victory lies.
These past weeks have turned many people’s lives upside down. For those who have lost work and security, I’m sure the idea of homeschooling is one more worry. I’ve homeschooled my six children from the beginning, 17 years ago. I had the time to choose it, to prepare, to pick the minds of people I trusted who had gone before me. That isn’t the situation for so many. And so, I write this with the hopes of encouraging you, and, in humility, reminding you of a few important things.
The first thing I would remind you of is this: for good, or for bad, you have been homeschooling your children since the moment they took their first breath. Every conversation, movie, joke, prayer, story, vacation, each argument has been homeschooling.
A second important thing is that educating your child is actually your vocation as a Catholic parent. Wherever they learn arithmetic next September, it’s a Catholic teaching that we are the primary educators of our children. That means you were meant to be teaching your child, and so God’s grace is with us as we tread the terrifying path of forming little hearts and minds toward sainthood.
I have learned that most children will inevitably learn to read, divide fractions, and memorize capital cities. But not every child hears a wonderful story from the lips of their father or memorizes a beautiful poem and recites it aloud.
Most children will fingerpaint and glue stuff, but not all will look at beautiful works of art with their mother and talk about the history of those times and peoples.
Many go to church, but not every child learns to pray, or reads the lives of the saints and discusses the meaning of truth, goodness, and beauty with someone who cares.
I’ve found I do best when I make my days intentional, when I enjoy preparing for the day. Because I have followed a curriculum I trust, my children are learning their grammar, arithmetic, and science concepts. But the reason I trust our curriculum is because it works not just to have a child memorize a group of facts, but to teach a child the art of learning.
I know many of you might have your children doing their studies online. If not … actually, even if so, I highly recommend the book Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education. There are hundreds of worthy homeschooling books. But as time is limited, this is the one I recommend. From its wisdom, I offer these suggestions.
Start your day with prayer. Trust me, you need it. If it isn’t something your family has done before, start simply and briefly.
Slow it down. If your child struggles with a subject, do everything you can to find some way to make them succeed. Every child thinks and learns differently, and in a different time. But if they have “failed” at something in their school career, now is the time for them to succeed, in some small way. Every success builds their confidence, and the belief that they will succeed again. Use rewards and small incentives. Even a pile of promised Cheerios has mysterious powers.
Let your child teach you something. After they have been tested, let them test you. My children always laugh to see that I am in the same boat as they are. They also seem to remember so much more when competing with a parent.
Balance drudgery with fun. Homeschooling is really not all pyjamas and science experiments, but some of it can be! I would not have gotten anywhere in homeschooling without order and stability in our schoolwork, but that includes knowing when it’s time to make a mess, go for a nature walk, or make something explode.
Dare a little romantic love. Put your child on your lap and read a poem while they draw a picture about it. The mind opens when it is offered beautiful things. I have heard it said that it is more important that a young child has good literature read to them than that they learn to read themselves “on time.” I’ve also heard it said it’s more important for a child to hear beautiful music than to play it. You may not be able to teach your child the recorder, but you certainly can play Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals and read The Chronicles of Narnia.
Find good movies and novels. Many of my children will say that history is one of their favourite subjects. I believe that is because our curriculum uses the text as a supplement, and historical novels as the fodder. Find good movies to watch with your teens. Explore different cultures, moral dilemmas, and historical events. Don’t make them write an essay about it, but talk about them.
Educate yourself about education. If you, like me when I started, know nothing about classical education, at the very least investigate the different stages of learning. You may be surprised to discover what stage your child is in, and the different things you can do to take the most advantage of it.
Get organized. In order to survive, you must work as a team to keep the house in some kind of order. Make a chart or list and expect everyone to do their part.
Get outside and savour the air and sunshine together. Our isolation may feel like a prison, but in many ways we have now been freed in a way that allows us to connect with our children, who are often pulled away from us by the world.
These next weeks with your children are a gift given to you. In no way does that gift exclude stress, exhaustion, doubts, and days when you feel like running away. Those things are usually included in most acts of real love, I think. It is a humbling thing to ask your child to forgive you for impatience, and I have had to do it many times. It is good for children to experience the forgiving, and it helps them to trust they will be forgiven.
St. Benedict wrote, “Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pressing appeal to Christ our Lord to bring it to perfection.”
Most certainly, the education of our children is a good work, deserving of appeals made to God for grace, for patience, and for peace. To all of you who have suddenly found the job of your children’s education placed soundly in your laps, I say, “You can do this! You are able, you are strong, and you are equipped! Go forth, and raise your little saints.”
Resources I have appreciated
- Rick Mercer’s short videos exploring different provinces. Try Rick Mercer climbs Mt. Nimbus in B.C. (Preview first)
- Mad Libs are such a fun way to teach basic grammar to little kids.
- Professor Noggin’s card games (every topic imaginable)
- Dutch Blitz, Cribbage, Rummy. Play card games and let your kids keep score.
- Ignatius Press novels of saints
- Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
- Child-size Masterpieces (art appreciation cards)
- Formed.org (Catholic movies, programs, audio, and books)
- Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb
- Wordmint.com (make your own crossword puzzles etc. on any topic, or let your kids make them)