Читать книгу Homeschooling For Dummies - Jennifer Kaufeld - Страница 40

Remember those first toddler steps? Your child stood, wavered, and then plunk! Down he went. But he stood up again, wobbled a little, and took one step, and then another. You were so excited that you could cheer! Maybe you did (and soon after found yourself cuddling a crying toddler who was startled at that great big noise).

Homeschooling is like that. When you teach your child at home, you see the thrill in your child’s eyes when she learns to add for the very first time. You hear the first words your child learns to read. You get to explain the wonders of the stars to wide, fascinated eyes.

And farther along, you unfold other mysteries of life to your learner. What is an atom? How do you solve this math problem for n, and why does anyone care what n might be in the first place? What happens when you forget to add salt to that bread loaf that you just made? (Oops. Saltless bread loaves aren’t very tasty.)

Watching a child learn is a bit addictive, and with homeschooling, you have the opportunity to see it all (even the frustrating I-wish-I-could-throw-my-pencil parts). No matter how old your students may be, the sparkle still comes into their eyes when they master a new skill just like it did during those first steps. One of the greatest joys of homeschooling is getting to see your children learn for the first time over and over.

Homeschooling looks at education from a different perspective. You don’t need to prove that your child is learning by assigning homework for her to do after hours. You’re the parent, you are the one teaching your child, and you know whether she gets it or not. If she doesn’t understand the concept, you can tell by the dazed look in her eyes. If she does understand, there’s no reason to spend the next four hours reteaching the same concept after dinner. You can always test the child over the material if you’re not sure. Chapter 24 talks more about grades and testing.