Smart-alecs.
Yes, if you have children (well of course you do if you are homeschooling) then you know that they are soooo smart.
Smarter then you.
I mean even from Kindergarten.
And YOU are the one whose teaching them their numbers. Right?
As long as I live I will never forget when I was teaching my now 16 year old daughter when she was 4 years old how to add. She looked at me when we were done and she boldly declared with a look of ‘oh my goodness Mom’ on her face, “I already knew how to do that.”
Uhhhmmm….”No, you didn’t. I just taught you.” I thought to myself.
Staring at her as if she had three eyes I couldn’t believe that she really thought she already knew how to add.
After homeschooling for 16 years you can imagine how often I have heard one of my children at distinct moments of their schooling career proclaim, “I knew that.”
Hmmmm……
So the question begs an answer.
If you know everything why in the world am I having to homeschool YOU? pRaY-tElL!
Well, let’s flip the switch.
What our children LEARN after they KNOW IT ALL is what matters!!
The reality of this was so profound to me after homeschooling for about eight years.
A friend that I was fellowshipping with in his house church mentioned about teaching his boys how to be life long learners. That their learning didn’t stop after homeschooling but he’s teaching them to always be in a posture of learning.
Ok….this made so much sense. I’m not sure why I didn’t think like this.
However, from that conversation with him my academic eyes were opened.
As my children progressed through their schooling years I realized that the investment that I was making was that of teaching them how to learn.
How to be learners.
Continuous learners.
All their lives.
Grant it. I’ve imparted a lot of book knowledge to each of them and am still in the thick of doing so.
They certainly may believe that they know it “all.”
You know the “all” I’m talking about. The kind where you feel you “cant tell them ‘nothin.”
But reality and realization of it is that they truly do learn AFTER they know it all.
Real life is the best instructor.
And the truth of the matter is that each of our children will be instructed well.
After they….you know…… know it all. 🙂
It’s my heartfelt conviction that we must do our best to help our children understand this fact.
- They must always be learning.
- Have a hunger for learning AND
- Life will keep teaching them after home instruction is done.
What that means for us as home educators is that we can’t feel that we must dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t.’
We will not get it all done in their schooling careers.
We will miss some things in our instruction to them.
I’m not just speaking academically.
I’m speaking in life generally.
I’m still catching a few things here and there that I missed instructing my children on.
Various…….Life-skills.
But….they will learn them. They will survive. I truly believe the Lord will fill in the blanks.
Or at least He will allow ‘life’ to do so for them.
And it’s okay.
After all aren’t You and I still learning? Are we not continuing to be learners?
Why of course we are.
It’s a perpetual reality from generation to generation.
We all are ‘smart-alecs’ that are still learning after we know it all.
(smile)
(Be sure to share this post of encouragment with a homeschooling Mom, Dad, Friend, Grandama/Grandpa. They will appreciate it.)
Serving You and Yours,
Angela Jordan Perry,
UCHU owner/administrator/director
Angela Jordan Perry, is a wife of 24 years, homeschooling Mom of eight children, entrepreneur, mad’am farmer, Toastmaster and follower of Christ. Angela and her family makes their home in Campobello, SC.