Homeschooling: Sharing the Burden with Your Child

I think it goes without saying, but a primary goal of teaching is to facilitate learning. 

Makes sense, right? 

The goal is not to make learning "hard," nor is it to stump our students on a test or quiz! (As in "Ha! I gotcha!!") But you would not believe the number of times that I have seen that concept among homeschooling parents. Not the majority, for sure, but the fact is that that idea exists for some. Perhaps it is a throwback to our own education when we perceived the teacher as the enemy who was determined to make life miserable? 

Ahhh...but one of the glories of homeschooling is that we are a team! I want my students to succeed! 

Thus, another one of my rudimentary teaching tips is this:

Share the burden of learning with your child.

We've all been there. You make what you consider a reasonable assignment, but your child seems lost or has that glazed-over "I have no idea what you're talking about" look or is even overwhelmed. (This is different than being lazy or not wanting to rise to the challenge.) 

In my experience, pushing is counterproductive. The student may complete the assignment, but not really understand it. He may do the work, but the foundation will not be there for going on to the next level. She may lose her joy in the task. 

Instead, try sharing the burden of learning with the student. 

Don't force him to sink or swim, but come alongside and walk with him.

What does "sharing the burden" look like?

If your student is having trouble beginning to read an assigned book (and you know it is a living book and is on his reading level), read the first chapter aloud to incite his enthusiasm for the story.

She is writing a story and doesn't know how to begin. Sit down with her and brainstorm topics together. Help her with a plan or even a basic outline. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part.

A beginning writer may have a difficult time with the physical action of writing. It takes a great deal of concentration to get the words from the brain onto a page, all the while using correct grammar and spelling and organizing your thoughts. (That's a lot to think about for a young child!) Instead, allow the child to dictate his thoughts to you as you write them down. This allows him to think about the content without being distracted by the physical action of writing.

You are not providing your child with the easy way out! You are not encouraging him to be intellectually lazy! But when you see that he is genuinely struggling with an idea or skill, you are helping him to learn by sharing the burden with him. As you share the burden, he will learn, build confidence, and move on to the next level. (Just because you are taking dictation from an 8-year-old doesn't mean that you will be doing it through his high school years. You will be sensitive to his abilities and encourage him to take the next step.)

A Real Life Story:

Recently, Bekah was introduced to the concept of adding algebraic equations with both constants and variables. Although she is a good math student, this concept looked like Greek to her. I could see that she was overwhelmed with understanding the steps and also with remembering them from one day to the next. So I decided to share the burden of learning with her. When I told her that we would do those problems together until she understood them, I saw a visible look of relief on her face.

Each day, we would tackle those overwhelming equations together. After a few times, I'd ask her "What do we do next?" Another day, I'd hand her the pencil and she would take the lead with solving the equation while I followed along, helping only if necessary. She has made great progress, and any day now she'll be confidently working those problems alone.

Something that had once seemed overwhelming has become completely attainable.

And that is what can happen when we are willing to share the burden of learning with our homeschool students.

For other posts in this series...

Homeschooling: Finding Joy in the Journey