An Autumn Recipe for Humble Pie by Sandra DeVera & Angel Alderson
Welcome to October, unofficially known as National Homeschool Disillusionment Month. The expensive curriculum you bought last summer isn't working. A month or more of school has gone by and you don't feel like you've accomplished anything. The child you brought home to nurture now has you wondering which of you will end up in therapy first. You fear in your heart that you're a failure as a teacher. What you don't realize is that being humbled as the autumn leaves start to turn is normal, natural, and most importantly, a good thing. Neither you nor your children will start learning until you appreciate how little you know. The best place to find that out is on your knees.
Human beings need to be teachable, flexible, and adaptable none of which come naturally. Home education is an ideal environment for you as a parent to learn these things. Don't fight it. We all need to remember that the goal of home education is to build character - in our children and ourselves - not just "get them through" the school years with good grades. Oh, sure, we hear some of you saying, "No, really, I'd settle for just getting them through!" But if we're to give our best efforts to God, then we need to provide an example for our children of what it means to "humble thyself in the sight of the Lord." We should constantly be showing them that learning new things is something they will be doing their whole life, not just until they graduate.
Are you worried that your child didn't complete their curriculum for the day? Entire courses can be completed without the student having learned anything. Your goal as a family should be to learn new things every day. They don't have to be big ideas, but they should be inspiring ones. When your children see how you get excited about learning something new they come to accept that it takes time, perseverance, patience, and practice.
We are often placed in the position of being "The Answer Mom" and while that can be satisfying it can contribute to pride. Pride may make us defensive when our children ask something we know nothing about. Trying to hide our inadequacy only makes your children lose respect for you. Be willing to say, "I don't know. Let's look it up," or "Let's pray about this and see what God shows us." Remember the resources God has given you. Teach your children by example how to use a concordance to find a Bible verse, ask Dad what he knows about the topic, use the library or the internet, approach other home education parents at CHECK functions, or simply phone a friend who has expertise in things you don't! You don't need to teach your child everything you know, teach them how to learn what they need to know."
Recently one of our children was worried that they would be asked to do something in a volunteer work situation that they did not know how to do. Our advice: Look the person making the request in the eye, smile, and say, "I've never done that before. Would you show me how you want it done?" A lesson like that will apply to any job situation that child could ever face when they are grown. Earnest, sincere, agreeable humility and a willingness to be teachable is going to get them through school, through work, through relationships and guide them in God's will no matter what their GPA or SAT scores. It's your God-given privilege to humbly train up your children in the way they should go. Don't let concerns over scholastics override your opportunity to instill character in the parents of your grandchildren.