At the end of the homeschooling journey, somewhere around high school graduation or college graduation, or when they get a job or something like that. I don't know. When does homeschooling end? How do we know that we are finished? How do we know if we've succeeded?
I find myself wondering, not if I've succeeded, but in how many ways have I failed?
After four years of dance class, my child knows little more than the basic ballet steps that she learned in the first six months. Shouldn't she know more than that? She isn't on her way to the Royal Ballet, so who's fault is it? Hers? Her teachers? Or mine?
After two years of piano lessons, my child has no interest in playing a musical instrument and she can't even play a simple tune. I'll never hear her play Mozart at Carnegie Hall. Who's fault is that?
After seventeen years of teaching my child, she tests at a sixth grade level in math - I know this one is my fault. She scored high in every area and whizzed the un-timed math, but when it came to speed of calculations, she couldn't do it. My fault! I think flashcards are like torture; for me and for my child. But, because I failed to drill them, my child can not do math facts quickly. She knows them, but not fast enough.
I want to do better with the children who follow her. I don't want to feel as though I've failed them all. I don't want to do flashcards, but I feel guilty every day that goes by and I've skipped them.
How do we overcome this guilt?
I heard a speaker say that the most insecure people on earth are homeschooling moms.
We have no one to blame but ourselves.
How do you handle this issue?
No comments:
Post a Comment