Have you ever noticed how excited kid are when they learn something new? I had a bit of an epiphany the other day when I realized that this kind of excitement is multiplied if they discovered how to do said-new-thing all on their own. Children like to be independent. They are proud of themselves if they can figure something out without help.
And I realized, above all else, this is what I want for my children, especially as we continue on this homeschool journey! If I can encourage in them an excitement, desire, and ability to learn independently, then they will be able to take themselves wherever they want to go in this life.
I like to think I'm a pretty smart person; I took honors classes in high school, graduated with a 4.0 GPA or better, took Calculus and English 1A during senior year, haven't really struggled with any of my college classes, etc. But, I am not much of an independant learner. I hardly ever read assigned textbook pages. And when I did, I didn't retain much. But I had no problem listening to a lecture. And there was no way you would see me doing extra credit projects. Extra credit projects usually meant too much freedom;freedom of topic choice, freedom of medium, and lax beginning date and due date. I needed teachers to tell me what, how, and when to do things.
If I could encourage my children to develop a talent for self-teaching, instead of being like me, then nothing would be able to hold them back.
But not only do they need to be able to self-teach, they need to have a love of learning. Now this is something I can definitely teach by example. Especially in more recent years, I've developed a love of acquiring new knowledge. This usually is manifest in the fact that I read lots of various news articles online. And whether I am at home or in the car, the radio is always tuned to a talk station. I listen to Armstrong and Getty for politics and randomness, Clark Howard for financial advice, Rush Limbaugh for politics, Tom Sullivan for politics, and a couple different shows on Saturdays about real estate, mutual funds, and technology.
I have a goal! I have direction! I have a focus! I'm feeling pretty good right now. Yay!
Ugh, until reality hits. How exactly am I going to accomplish that first part? I'll let you know when I find the magic key. I hope I figure it out at least by the time Tertius turns 18. So that gives me...17 years. Alright! Cheers for more specific goals!
And I realized, above all else, this is what I want for my children, especially as we continue on this homeschool journey! If I can encourage in them an excitement, desire, and ability to learn independently, then they will be able to take themselves wherever they want to go in this life.
I like to think I'm a pretty smart person; I took honors classes in high school, graduated with a 4.0 GPA or better, took Calculus and English 1A during senior year, haven't really struggled with any of my college classes, etc. But, I am not much of an independant learner. I hardly ever read assigned textbook pages. And when I did, I didn't retain much. But I had no problem listening to a lecture. And there was no way you would see me doing extra credit projects. Extra credit projects usually meant too much freedom;freedom of topic choice, freedom of medium, and lax beginning date and due date. I needed teachers to tell me what, how, and when to do things.
If I could encourage my children to develop a talent for self-teaching, instead of being like me, then nothing would be able to hold them back.
But not only do they need to be able to self-teach, they need to have a love of learning. Now this is something I can definitely teach by example. Especially in more recent years, I've developed a love of acquiring new knowledge. This usually is manifest in the fact that I read lots of various news articles online. And whether I am at home or in the car, the radio is always tuned to a talk station. I listen to Armstrong and Getty for politics and randomness, Clark Howard for financial advice, Rush Limbaugh for politics, Tom Sullivan for politics, and a couple different shows on Saturdays about real estate, mutual funds, and technology.
I have a goal! I have direction! I have a focus! I'm feeling pretty good right now. Yay!
Ugh, until reality hits. How exactly am I going to accomplish that first part? I'll let you know when I find the magic key. I hope I figure it out at least by the time Tertius turns 18. So that gives me...17 years. Alright! Cheers for more specific goals!
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