By Cindy Nabb

I ran into a old school friend of mine the other day in the parking lot after shopping with my daughter.  We stood and chatted for a while and inevitably the questions come up;  “How many kids do you have now?” And, “Wow, you have six, what are their ages?  Oh, so how many are in school, then?”  Then she found out that we homeschool.  In my experience, this either intrigues people or they are ready to walk away.  She was neither fully engaged in the conversation nor standing outside of it.  We chatted a bit more about it and she made a comment that we (meaning her and I) survived public school.  This got me to thinking.  I want my kids to do more than just survive.   I want my kids to succeed, to have the better than I had, to make learning a lifestyle.

As homeschoolers, we have to fill out paperwork to register with the state.  In that paper work, we have to declare what hours our kids will be “attending school.”  In our school, we feel that learning takes place from the time we wake to the time we go to bed.  You never know when a “teachable moment” will happen.  We have had math lessons at 10 pm and we have had history lessons at 8 am.  Even bad dreams in the middle of the night provide opportunity to teach.  You have to take those moments when the questions arise or something happens in life that you can use to teach.  Use those moments, as well, to teach and train in character as well as facts.

There are many reasons why we homeschool but one of the top reasons is to create life long learners.  We desire to have our children be people that, throughout their life, will enjoy learning and know where to go to find out information and look back at their education as one of the greatest times in their lives.

No matter your educational decisions for your children I encourage you to have them do more than “survive.”  Take the time to get to know their likes, dislikes, learning styles  and their strengths and weaknesses.  Whether they’re in public school or your dining room every day, they are depending on you to help them learn how to learn.  You are in the best position to influence their learning style.