Your behavior in the homeschool classroom is key to gaining the respect of your homeschoolers. The homeschool teachers who are respected, will find it much easier to progress in the class with minimal fuss and complaints. What are some things that you should keep in mind?
Don’t Give Them Meaningless Work
Every learning task that you set for them, should feel meaningful to them. It’s not just about keeping them occupied while you catch up with something else. Limit the number of worksheets once they grasp the concept. Stop practice once they have perfected the lines. Just keep their classwork relevant. Give your homeschool students work that will add value to their learning.
Have Them Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Generic goals like do your studies, or revise your work don’t cut it with the homeschooled kids. They just serve to increase thier frustration levels. The goals that you set for your homeschoolers should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound. A good example of a SMART goal would be to ask them to research and write a paper of 500 words on a specific topic by the end of five days.
Don’t Compare Them to Others
Each child is unique in the skills, abilities and personality department. Just because your elder one loves to read out their chapters loud, is no reason to push your younger one to do the same. No one likes being compared to others in a bad light. Respect your homeschool students as individuals with different likes and dislikes from your own.
Don’t Offer Uninformed Opinions
If you are unaware of the right answer to questions that they may have asked you in class, don’t make stuff up to look smart. Eventually they will find the right answers elsewhere and will feel betrayed by your lies. You will lose their trust, and this will make it nearly impossible to teach your homeschool students. Instead be honest and say that you don’t know, but will find out the right answer and get back to them.
