Becoming a Parent-Teacher in a Homeschool Classroom
May 24th, 2011 | 
Author: by Valerie Spate
These days, more and more parents are choosing to pull their kids out of overcrowded and sometimes dangerous classrooms and teach them at home. But homeschooling involves much more than handing a child a few books or gluing together a macaroni sculpture. Homeschooling will change the dynamics of your home and family, and some careful thought, planning, and soul searching are necessary to ensure that these changes aren’t negative ones.
In the first place, it is important to have an appropriate, designated space in your home for schooling. Just as adults don’t want to feel like they are at work all the time, so children don’t want to feel like they are at school all the time. Locate your classroom in a particular area and keep it there, so that you and your kids can still enjoy the house as a home, not just as a school. Obviously, this area should be a comfortable workspace with good light, sturdy work surfaces, and few distractions. If possible, set aside a room or partition off part of a room to be used only for schoolwork. If your classroom must share space with other activities, then make sure that all school supplies can be easily stored out of the way, so they don’t take over your entire life. For example, if you choose to home school because your family spends a lot of time on the road, put each child’s school supplies in a box and only pull out the box when it’s time to study.
Just as you should try to have a designated space for your classroom, so you should have a designated time for your kids to do their lessons. Kids function best when they have a routine they can rely upon. It will be easier for your children to learn if they always know what’s expected of them and when they understand the difference between school time and play time. This will also keep them from resenting you for popping in unexpectedly to drag them away from playing in order to work.
Although one of the great appeals of homeschooling is the chance to spend more time with your children and make certain they are getting the kind of education that you think is best, it is extremely important to separate your roles as parent and teacher in your mind and in the minds of your children. For example, your children should never feel that a poor performance on a school assignment lessens your love for them. On the other hand, you should not let struggles in the classroom make you believe you are a bad parent. Do your best to separate your child’s school life and family life, so that they understand their performance as a student does not threaten their place in the family.
Another important matter to consider in your dual role as parent and teacher is setting the right example. Your kids, consciously and unconsciously, copy you in speech, action, and attitude. As parent and teacher, you fill the place of two very important role models. Your attitude toward learning will more than likely be shared by your children. If you treat lesson time seriously, if you get excited in the classroom, if you jump at the chance to learn new things yourself, and if you show your kids how your education helps you in everyday life, then your children will also understand the importance of learning and become willing students in your home school classroom.
Guest Contributer Valerie Spate writes for Fatwallet.com home of hp coupons. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her children, reading non-fiction, and making frozen yogurt.
Posted in Homeschooling