I took drastic measures this week.
Nothing could be accomplished. Every minute there were distractions.
A beep here. A ding there. Emails, texts, messages, videos, reels, stories, posts.
I had to take a stand. So much time was being lost. Stolen. It was horrible.
I deleted Facebook and Instagram from my phone.
Are you worried about how to prepare your kids for the future?
I am.
What skills will they need to be successful? What should we cover to help them the most? Are the standards the government has for education taking any of this into consideration?
Lots to think about.
Have you heard of Ken Robinson? His TED talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity,” has been viewed 72 MILLION times. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend it.
Right now I’m rereading his book “Finding Your Element.” I’ve listened to it several times and even read the actual book once. This time I’m taking the time to annotate, do the suggested activities, and take notes.
It is that good of a book.
It seems like just yesterday they were such cute babies…
And then they grow up.
Teens really get a bad rap. The teen years are so confusing. Especially right now! This is when they are supposed to be planning for the future but they are hearing all around them that the world is going to end!
It can be hard to envision a positive future, even for adults.
When I first started homeschooling most homeschoolers I met were planning on sending their kids to high school when the time came. They couldn’t see themselves teaching at that level.
Today many people feel the same way.
Over the years, I’ve heard so many people say they are uncomfortable teaching older kids – both parents and teachers! The subject matter is more intimidating, and let’s face it, we didn’t like chemistry or algebra when we took them in high school. How are we going to be able to teach them?
But if you give up because of those reasons, you are missing out. First of all, let me assure you that you don’t have to relearn chemistry or algebra – unless you want to. You can find someone else to teach it. And your kids need you.
As kids grow older they change and parents need to change too. So many of us are homeschooling our older students today, whether you are doing school at home or a more traditional homeschool. As homeschool parents of older students, our roles are different than if our kids were in elementary school. Understanding this makes it easier for everyone involved.
With all the teen years’ turbulence, how do you and your teen not just survive, but thrive?
Young children look at the world very simply. Things are black or white, good or bad, right or wrong. They have a problem seeing the shades of gray. If a good person makes one mistake, are they still good? If something that is seen as right has unforeseen negative consequences, how could it be wrong?