Often when considering homeschooling, the focus is on finding the best curriculum. While the curriculum is important, an even more important factor must be considered before deciding to jump in with both feet.
Responsibility
While homeschooling offers the allure of flexibility in learning materials, delivery, and timing, these advantages can turn negative if it is assumed to be completely non-accountable.
3 Responsibility Rules
1. Parent to School Board/Government
We are particularly fortunate in that we have several school boards that serve only the homeschooling population in our province of Alberta. This is a great help as we are assigned to a social worker who travels to our home twice a year to consult with us about our goals, study plan, activities, expenses, etc.
It helps to know that although we have chosen to homeschool, we are not completely alone. The social worker is also available throughout the year free of charge for questions or advice when difficult situations arise. They also offer great insights into what works for other families in similar circumstances.
An added bonus to this is that our children’s education is documented with a public school board recognized by the Alberta government. This makes the transition to high school and college much easier than going it alone. Part of this is that our school board conducts annual provincial standard tests, which are kept on file, to help ensure that our children are on par with or ahead of children in the public school system.
2. Children to parents
Homeschooled children can quickly fall into the trap of thinking that no one is watching whether or not they are completing their lessons and work. We all know that children will test the limits when the opportunity arises. They may rely on the fact that their parents are busy working or doing housework and trust them to do the work on their own.
Therefore, precautions must be taken to ensure that accountability is strong in this area. Children should be given deadlines or goals for each area of study on a daily basis. As an example, many curricula are divided into lessons, so as parents we can tell our children that they are expected to finish lesson 101 in each subject today.
Some curricula may encourage more than one lesson per day. Whatever you decide is fine as long as your expectations are expressed and you provide all the necessary materials and help to successfully complete the job.
While it may seem like kids don’t like accountability and are vehemently opposed, in reality, most kids take some comfort in knowing that their parents care enough about them to have rules or guidelines.
We also suggest that accountability be based not only on the amount of work done, but also on the quality. It is entirely reasonable to not only expect a lesson to be completed, but also to expect a certain level of proficiency. Just filling in the blanks with wrong answers accomplishes nothing.
This accountability also requires that there be consequences when work is not done properly. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as inability to comprehend or illness, children need to know that lack of accountability comes at a cost. We find that removing e-privileges works quite well in this regard.
3. From parents to children
Although parenting children is number three, that doesn’t mean it’s the least important. In fact, we believe that it is actually the most important of the three. With the first two, you’ll get minimal results, but when parents are also responsible for their children, homeschooling comes together.
Eventually, our children will reach the age to move out and attend college or start a life of their own. What kind of education and how well we have provided it will be essential for them to achieve their goals in life.
Homeschooling is not a loophole or an easy answer to a busy or transient lifestyle. In fact, if done right, homeschooling can be a lot more work for parents than if their child went to public school. As parents, we now replace teachers and support staff to some degree, depending on the chosen curriculum. It is we who must correct, verify, explain and encourage our children.
The easiest way to accomplish this is by marking your child’s work daily. By doing this, you can catch potential problems before they become bigger problems. This is a great advantage of homeschooling!
If you can explain or even reteach an area of concern right away, you’ll avoid further frustration and confusion in the future. Remember, most courses like English, Math, and Science involve building-type learning. What the children learn this week is used to build on the next week and so on.
Another important aspect of parental responsibility is that when we show that we are involved and care deeply about our children’s education, they will usually be more accountable to us in return. Instead of a potentially antagonistic relationship, we are building a more symbiotic one. Yes, we are still in charge, but we can do it with love and respect at the same time.
These 3 Homeschooling Responsibility Rules are your starting point for a great homeschooling environment.