Is a homeschooling child ever really behind? The atmosphere of a homeschool lends to individual learning and needs. The feeling of being “behind” is leftover feelings of either being in a school system or simply living in today’s society. A child should be able to learn at her own pace excelling in areas she is comfortable and taking time in the areas she is not. There is no system to answer to and no funds to be fought over. You are not competing with another homeschool. Your child has the freedom to flourish at her own pace in a safe environment. This will develop the strength and confidence to exceed beyond the expectation. Does the feeling of being “behind” hinder or help a child?
My first grader is not well versed in reading. She is a very good math and science student but clumsy at reading. She has little interest and motivation to succeed in this area. Since she is around other children she has discovered that she is “behind” in reading. She came home telling me that a little boy her age in church can read. Her siblings have made comments about her not reading well. Because her inability to read well was rooted in a lack of interest her feeling “behind” motivated her to learn. The same fire that prevented her from learning was now key to getting her to learn. While this may be a positive for her the sense of being “behind”, it would not be if a child was truly struggling. My daughter was not struggling she was defiant.
My middle school child has fallen “behind” in math. A switch in curriculum and life changes caused a riff in her knowledge which led to doing poorly in a subject she was solid in. She found herself unable to catch up and felt pressured. The pressure caused to her to want to give up. She was old enough to know she was losing ground as soon as it happened. The feeling was unpleasant and she felt lost. She would be the classic child if in school would suffer with poor grades that would never improve. She self esteem was shattered.
Feeling “behind” simply adds pressure which had more of a tendency to blow up. My defiant reader may have found a bit of motivation but it in the end the motivation was selfish. A selfish desire to succeed is not what I am teaching. She was making strides reading with little nudges from a positive mom who wanted her to discover the joy of reading. My middle school child needs support and the feeling that it is okay to go backwards a bit to regain your footing. That is what homeschool is about the chance to excel beyond dreams, the chance to catch your breath, or the chance to regain your footing.