{Day 28} The Importance of Listening To Your Kids
{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}
To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.
I have a confession. I am a trained teacher. Though theories have evolved greatly over the years, I was trained by that part of our culture that believes ‘teachers always know what is best for students’.
For many years, I learned from top universities how to “tell” students this and “make” children do that. Never really comfortable with it all, I still used those techniques in my classes. But, I always felt something was wrong, and looked constantly for ways to better understand my students. I began applying things I learned from computer programming and artificial intelligence to my classes. I studied the human mind, behavior, and social psychology, searching for ways to figure my students out. I believe my success and popularity as a professor and a teacher at the time came from the fact that I was different from the other teachers.
Some 20+ years ago, I became a homeschool parent. I knew my children would never go to school, and was determined to teach them in the ways that were best for them, too. Despite my determination, for a teacher trained like me, this still took a little adjustment. Part of the adjustment was about remembering to always listen to my kids. Above all training and classroom management techniques. Above ANYTHING else the teacher books said.
You see, teaching isn’t only about delivering information to students. It’s about watching them, and hearing what students say back to us. We’ve all seen the cartoons of information dropped into human brains. These have nothing to do with true education at all.
Even today, I still find some homeschoolers have this problem, too. Educated in schools themselves, naturally, many moms and dads still buy into the “Open head. Insert information.” theory. Many do not understand the importance of observing and listening to their children. Many try to duplicate school at home. Some do not understand there is a difference.
This conversation is very eye-opening to the parents I meet with. In my work as a homeschool coach and counselor, I often meet parents who think homeschooling is nothing more than dropping a set of books in front of a child and walking away.
In fact, what can be gained by watching and listening to children speaks louder than any chapter summaries, any grades, any tests, or any results of science experiments. What can be gained by truly watching and listening to our children is the absolute essence of teaching, for it reveals exactly what children think, how they learn, and where their misunderstandings lie, too.
Imagine a child completely mesmerized by a movie, wrapped up in a game, or fascinated by a place. What can be learned by observing this child? Have you every really watched a child on the edge of his seat?
Now imagine a child fidgeting, wiggling, looking about, and playing with small objects around him. What does this reveal?
Finally, listen to any child at the dinner table, in the car, or while she is talking to a friend. The clues in these conversations are priceless!
I assert that homeschool parents have the very unique opportunity — and responsibility – to optimize learning just by watching and listening to their children. Without this important component, the possibilities for that child’s learning will never be fully realized.
Click on the articles below for further reading about this topic. Contact me if you’d like to learn how to unlock your child’s true learning potential.
Further reading:
Lost exuberance: The important of play
Uncovering hidden clues in what children say
When a child hates a subject, he’s telling your something
Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply