In my previous post Homeschooling and Competition… or the lack of it, I may have given the impression that I do not believe in grading my kids. That is not entirely true. I do not believe in the competition that results from grading. Grading should be a private and confidential thing used only to let a child see where he or she is academically, and where they have to improve.
In our homeschool, our children are not allowed to get under a 90% on any test. (Sounds like many of our homes growing up, doesn’t it?) However, instead of being afraid of scoring less than a 90% for fear of punishment, my kids accept the fact that they will have to re-do the unit until they have mastered it with at least a 90%. Sometimes they will fly through their units, sometimes they may have to redo it multiple times. This method of grading that I use prevents unhealthy competition between my children. Everyone scores 90% or better in the end, and it is not the other child’s business how long it took a child to finish and particular unit.
Meanwhile, having eliminated the “I am smarter/ quicker/ brighter than you”, competition in my home, I still try to take advantage of healthy competition whenever I can. While it is true that a child’s real competition is himself, as they get older, children must understand that when it comes time to benefit from opportunities and to secure employment, they will be measured against others. He benefit I find in healthy competition is not one that measures a child’s strengths and weaknesses, but instead defines it.
I often remind my kids that everyone is best at something, so you just have to find out what it is. In finding out what it is, you need to compete. This way when my child loses a competition to someone else, they do not see themselves as less than the victor, but different from the victor. They may be best at a different thing completely, or at a more focused niche of the greater competition.
Stay tuned for my next installment on Homeschooling and Competition: Get in the Game where I will point out different competitions your child can enter.
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