Mimi Rothschild, Home School Advocate – The Homeschooling News Café

-by Mimi Rothschild

Whether you’re brand new to home schooling, or you’re a veteran, you know how much work goes into each day. Between schoolwork, housework, and balancing the role of wife, mother and educator, it can be downright exhausting at times. So why not teach your children to be workers along with you? It will be a tremendous help to you, while also preparing them to be productive adults.

So how do you approach this task? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Start them early. Even toddlers can be taught to put away their toys, and the tasks can increase in difficulty with age. The point is instilling in a child early on the importance of tidying up after themselves and helping their parents and siblings will prove to be an invaluable skill later on in life.

Keep the tasks age appropriate. It’s ok to challenge a child to learn something new, but if you make his chores too many or too difficult, nobody benefits. Assigning each child one or two daily duties, such as making his or her bed or setting the dinner table, will teach them responsibility but won’t overwhelm them.

Communicate clearly. Some children can be told something just once, and they’re off and running. Others need to be reminded consistently before they finally understand what’s expected of them. Explain to your child, on their level, what it is you want them to do (in some cases even demonstrating for them) so that there is no confusion and the jobs get done correctly.

Hold them to high standards. It is unreasonable to expect a 7 year old to scrub a house until it’s spotless. But it is perfectly alright to expect him to be able to make his bed neatly. Training your child not only to do a job, but to do it well, will give him a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Reward them. The truth of the matter is the term “work” is most often associated with getting paid. You don’t necessarily have to give your child money for completing their chores or helping you with housework, but letting them have an ice cream after dinner for a job well done can go a long way. And never underestimate the power of simply telling a child what a good job they’ve done. Often a word of praise or encouragement is a far greater reward than money could ever be.

Find a system that works well with your family. Every family is different, as is every child. If your children prefer doing their assigned chores every day of every week of every year, great! Perhaps that order and consistency makes yours a happy and peaceful home. But you may find that rotating the duties every week or so among everyone might work better for your family, and will also help all of your children to become more well rounded. You ultimately have to determine what works best for your family, come up with a plan and implement it.

However you choose to introduce work into the family dynamic, it is almost certain that you and your children will be blessed by doing so.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

It is certain that at least once since making the decision to educate your children at home, you have been admonished by someone who does not agree with the concept of home schooling. Likely it has happened more than once. And the truth is, it will probably happen plenty more times before your children graduate. So how do you deal with those who are anti-home school?

In my experience, there are certain arguments that come up more frequently than others. Chances are you’ve heard them already, or if not you soon will. Here are a few suggestions on ways to combat the nay-sayers and stand up for your decision to home school.

You don’t have a teaching degree. How can you possibly teach your child? Well, let’s take a look at the numbers. Yes, the teacher in a traditional classroom has a degree in education. She also has the task of teaching 30 students of differing skill levels several different concepts in multiple subjects. I, as a home educator, have the pleasure of spending one on one time with my child to teach him to read and do math, allowing him as much time as he needs to learn and understand it. Which do you think is more effective from a learning stand-point?

Home schooling is illegal. A common misconception, and completely false. In fact, home education is legal in every single state in the U.S. This argument can be quickly and easily extinguished.

Your child will never learn to socialize. Just because a child does not sit in a traditional classroom every day does not mean she doesn’t interact with her peers in other ways. Activities such as ballet lessons, sports, church and home school groups allow for plenty of socialization. And the things my child will learn in those settings are much more desirable than what they might pick up attending public school for 7-8 hours a day.

Your child will fall behind and not be on the same level as his peers. Many states mandate annual testing to ensure that children who are educated at home are achieving the same academic milestones as those in traditional school settings. Additionally, most of the curriculum used to home school is far superior to that used in public school, which actually places the quality of education of a home schooler at a much higher than his peers will receive from a traditional education.

Your child will never be able to get into college. On the contrary, many colleges today have begun seeking out and recruiting children who have been home schooled, citing that they are better prepared and more conscientious. This also makes scholarships more likely.

Whether brand new to the world of home schooling, or a seasoned pro, you’ve certainly been met with one or all of these negative statements. It’s a shame that as parents we are made to defend our decision to take our own child’s education to a higher level and ensure that they are raised the way we see fit, with integrity and Godly principles. But the sad truth is we do. And although you will likely find your own way of explaining to others the reasons why educating your children at home is the right decision for your family, hopefully I’ve provided you with some ammunition to start.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.