Consider this:

“Free Children are not easily influenced; the absence of fear is the finest thing that can happen to a child.”

A.S. Neill, (1992) Summerhill School, A New View Of Childhood, Penguin Books.

We are all afraid of something. Whether it is the dark, small spaces, falling in our dreams or the neighbor’s dog! When faced with these our bodies can react to the perceived fear of the situation.

Authority or perceived authority is sometimes a huge fear provoker. Who remembers the fear of facing a teacher without the homework finished? Or the fear of a parent finding out you had not done so well in French as they might have expected. Inadvertently we bring this fear with us into adulthood. As adults we become the feared and oddly enough we almost feel “entitled” to repeat the process without thinking. We fail to think of the repercussions this type of “authority” had on us as people.

In the world of teaching and learning it is common to perceive the “teacher” as a position of authority. Parent – teacher meetings can often leave some parents in a bit of a tizzy. When teaching in the home this can tend to back fire – a lot! In one instant you are mum or dad and the next you are the teacher. Your past experience of both these roles will dictate the way you view your own role of authority in your child’s life.

Fear is a part of life. The trick is to not let it drive us in the decisions we make especially those we love very much! Here are a few things you may want to avoid doing.

What not to do:

Do not make fear-based choices in education for your student – this leaves you as a parent/teacher in a very vulnerable place. Teaching a program without being 100% that it is the best fit for your student leaves room for doubt by both parties! Fear of the alternatives should not be the driving force behind your home program. Fear cannot sustain a balanced educational program.

Do not make your students responsive to fear only. It may be very difficult to ignite intrinsic motivation if they are only triggered to participate through fear.

Do not live with the fear that your student’s natural intuition will uncover your weakness. It is often very powerful to share with our students that which we find difficult. This gives our learners an opportunity to offer their help and ideas. It also brings them closer to understanding we are all human.

Do not fear to be human. Your child’s perception of your authority will not change if you show natural human frailty. This doesn’t mean you have them running all over the place like wild animals.

Do not let the opinions of others affect your ability to prepare and teach your students in the way you believe best fits their needs. Our fear of what others think can interrupt the natural flow of creative ideas we may have. Opinions of onlookers are just that. As parents and 24hour caregivers we must own confidently decisions we make for our children.

Having said all that here are a few things you might consider doing to be sure you are staying conscious about where fear may be lurking in your program.

What to do:

As Arthur Costa shares in “Habits of Mind”, it is important to share with your child the importance of persistence, thinking flexibly, managing impulsive behavior, using humor, listening and understanding with empathy, thinking, questioning, applying past knowledge to new situations and remaining open to continuous learning. Moving away from decisions made of fear, towards thinking solutions can ignite a lot of creativity and intrinsic motivation in your student.

Let your child know that he or she is loved and accepted. Behavior comes and goes. The true spirit of your child is a constant!

Celebrate all that makes your child unique. After a public outburst of truth from my rather vocal 4 year old a passerby quietly shared with me – “What appears to be obnoxious at 4 is rather attractive at 24!”

Choose a program where you believe you and your student can be at your best. Choosing a program out of fear of the alternatives can leave both you and your student feeling frustrated and lonely.

Always be open to continuous learning. Our students/children are changing everyday. A huge advantage of teaching at home is we are able to understand and make room for these changes. Our teaching can be most effective when it grows with the needs of the child.

“Throw caution to the wind and fear out the window! There is less to be fearful of when we learn and grow together.”

Margit Barreras
2Think2Learn.com

“No one reading program is best for all children. Successful teachers of reading have developed activities that differentiate among their students according to their current level of readiness to read.”

Sousa, D. (2006) How the Brain Learns, Corwin Press

This method of differentiation is key in the developing of online curriculum. There is no “one size fits all” in teaching and learning. Here are ten tips for using your online curriculum successfully…

“Where do I start?”

Tip 1:
When starting out with an online curriculum it can be a good idea to view it as a resource. Online curriculum is designed for young students therefore contains age and grade appropriate materials. Utilizing the curriculum as a resource will give you a way to meaningfully engage your student in age appropriate research. Perhaps you could be detectives for the day and give each other a subject area to research within the curriculum.

“I have never taught and have no idea what is taught at this grade level:”

Tip 2:
Give yourself time to become familiar with the content. Most online curriculum have what they call a “scope and sequence” section which gives you a summary of what will be covered in the grade level. The scope and sequence is a general over view so will not overwhelm you. It is also a good idea to look ahead a grade level to understand where the content is leading.

“Some of the things my student has covered and is bored covering them again.”

Tip 3:
Give your student the role as teacher and have him or her create a learning experience for you with the material. This will give you the opportunity to see how well your student has “mastered “ the material. Teaching others shows we are at the “mastery “ level of learning.

“I can’t get my student to work – I ‘m so frustrated with this whole online curriculum!”

Tip 4:
Don’t take your frustrations out on the curriculum! The curriculum is not going to teach your student by itself! It is merely a tool to supply information and ways of delivering it. You will still need to think of innovative ways to engage your students and excite them about the content they use to learn a new concept. Remain upbeat about content.

“The program doesn’t fit my students learning needs exactly.”

Tip 5:
If a lesson or content doesn’t look like a good fit don’t use it in that form. Don’t be afraid to pull what you need info wise and re-packaged it to suit your learner. Pull out math manipulatives, art supplies, books or whatever you feel will help make sense and give meaning to the material being covered.

“My student cannot get passed a particular lesson “

Tip 6:
By all means please find a lesson that re-engages your student and perhaps re visit the content of the skipped lesson at a later date. Most online curriculum is designed in such a way that content will be covered again in a different way. It is always a fun idea to look through the lessons to find engaging content that best suits your student.

“We are getting behind in our progress. What should we do?”

Tip 7:
When we get behind we often want to “fix” the situation. It is tempting to try and catch up by merely having your student do the end of lesson assessments. This is not a good idea as not all the content is covered in these assessments. If you are feeling behind take a breath and look at what your student has achieved. Focus on the areas of need and cover these first. Let your student choose content of his or her liking when lessons you have chosen are done. Assessments are not intended to be a teaching tool. Request assistance from a teaching professional if you are unable to gather some forward momentum.

Are you having fun yet?

Tip 8:
It is very important to have tons of fun when teaching your kids. So much of what you are teaching can be hands on and exciting. Afternoons spent gardening, playing and living can support learning in such a positive way. Learning takes place in all the most unexpected places.

“Who is working for whom?”

Tip 9 & 10:
This is tip 9 and 10 because it is so important! You are not working for the CURRICULUM. The curriculum is designed to work for YOU! You are working towards delivering a meaningful program that excites your student to learning! Online curriculum is a tool to help back up your journey and ensure you some direction in content coverage.

Margit Barreras
2Think2Learn.com