If you are anything like me, you cannot believe that 2017 is right in front of us… it is shocking! Many people use this time to set goals or resolutions for themselves for the year ahead, and others like to list out things that you did this past year that you want to continue to do in the next year. These begin with reflection. As a homeschool mom of over twenty five years, my mom would take this break time to reflect. She would reflect on things that worked really well for her children since the beginning of the year, and perhaps some curriculum that needed to be changed or altered for each individual child. As teachers, we do the same thing. We look at our students needs and strengths at the mid year mark, and make adjustments.
As homeschool parents and teachers, it is very easy to get in swing of things and forget to take a step back to be sure that we are truly reaching and challenging all of our children. In this next year ahead, let’s make a goal to adjust our curriculum if needed without feeling guilty or disappointed in ourselves or our children. Let’s research ways to challenge our children at home in a way that enhances their love of learning. Articulate your child’s weaknesses and set an example of a growth mindset. Find your child’s gifts and interests and cultivate a longing to want to find out more. Our goal as educators is to reach the child as a whole.
One of the many things I love about WonderHere is that we do this on an everyday basis. The classes that your children are in are so diverse in age, interests, and gifts… and that makes creating lessons for these classes so much fun! When you walk into a class you will rarely see every child working on the same assignment. We look closely at their needs, interests, and strengths to assign their activities for the day, most of which are games (which is great because they are having so much fun that they don’t even know they are learning)! We hope that you will continue to do what you are doing at home, we are so thankful for you and your children. This past year has been a blast, and we have you to thank for that. Let’s come along side one another to educate the whole child!
