Lessons for the Teacher

I learned a valuable lesson the other day - Sitting down with one child and giving them your full, undivided attention for an hour and a half will result in more work done than hours and hours of work when mommy is distracted.  One would assume I had already learned this lesson in the 13+ years I have been homeschooling my children but I think now I realize it completely.

We have a child who has been struggling a bit.  Nothing terrible just a little trouble following directions, completing work, and so forth.  I sat down to work with this child the other day and I did nothing else.  I didn't answer the phone, help another child, unload the dryer, or make lunch.  It was amazing the amount of work we were able to accomplish AND how well he did.  It actually surprised me. We did two math lessons (about 60 problems) and none were missed.  We did a couple of Language Arts lessons and he did a fantastic job.  He followed directions, worked hard, and did not struggle at all.

~LIGHT BULB MOMENT~  I told my husband we must find this window of time each day for me to work alone with this child.  My honey sweetly suggested that we get up and work for an hour or so before anyone else is awake.  Yes, that will be hard but definitely worth it.  (Plus, this kiddo has never minded getting up early.)

Each of our six children need me and it's very important for me to be able to meet their needs in a balanced way.  My teenager boys do a lot of work independently but they need me to answer questions, grade their work, go over assignments, and sometimes they just need to talk.  My younger boy needs one on one time with me, and so does my 1st grade gal.  They also need me to make crafts, play with them, read to them, teach them their lessons, and check their work.  My little toddler needs me to love on her, feed her, read to her, and change her diapers.  It seems I am always learning lessons on how to balance my work and how to meet my children's needs.  God has blessed me with these children and He will certainly provide all that I need to take care of them.  I keep finding new ways to get everything done and I know it is God working in me to show me these things.  Our school is running smoother and it is because the Lord is doing a great work in my heart.  I have learned about my selfish tendencies and how that affects our school.  I've also learned quite a bit about distractions and how dangerous they can be to the home-school.  (It is very possible that I will write about those distractions and selfish tendencies in the near future - stay tuned!)

No matter how many years you have been teaching your children there is always more to learn.  I'm very thankful for the lessons my Heavenly Father has been teaching me.  I am a home-school teacher AND student!