As I mentioned on the “About Me” page, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. As a kid I enjoyed giving my siblings homework and spelling tests. 😆 When I got a chance to go to college, elementary education is what I majored in. Being a mom was very important to me, though, more so than having a career. I hadn’t thought about homeschooling in the beginning, but when it came up it felt like the perfect opportunity. I quickly learned to love teaching at home.
Now, after an education in education 😉 and over 15 years of teaching homeschool, I’ve created my own teaching style based on the things I’ve learned and observed. These are my beliefs about teaching that guide my teaching style:
📗Each child is unique, with individual strengths and weaknesses. Each child deserves the attention that will help them discover where they need extra help and where they can excel with ease, whether those things are academic or not.
📗Children learn better when they can make connections through a variety of assignments and activities. They remember better when they enjoy what they’re doing, so I like to make it fun when I can.
📗Reading is so fundamental to succeeding in school and in life. Of all the things I can teach my children, reading and a love of education are the most important to me. I teach reading through reading to them, teaching them phonics, practicing site words, and helping them apply those phonics and site words to the written words in books, in games, and all around us. I teach them to love learning by feeding their curiosity, finding answers to their questions, and even taking our lessons in new directions when they get excited about something.
📗There is more that a child needs to learn than just academics. I’m proud that each of my children have been able to learn cooking skills during their homeschool years that will be a benefit for their whole lives. Our homeschooling schedule also gives our kids time to practice skills like cleaning, baby care, and helping each other.
📗I appreciate that our public schools keep religions separate from education to respect the rights of all to choose their own beliefs, and I claim the privilege of teaching with a Christian perspective in my own home.
For more on homeschooling, see my homeschool posts; I <3 Homeschool, Layering Lessons, Layering Lessons Pt 2, Easy Preschool at Home, Culture of Kindness, and More than Cookie Cutters.