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Living God’s Word One Step at a Time

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You are here: Home / About Me / Why Your Older Kids Fight Your Teaching… and How To Fix That

July 28, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

Why Your Older Kids Fight Your Teaching… and How To Fix That

Why Your Older Kids Fight Your Teaching … and How To Fix That - Tricia Goyer

Why Your Older Kids Fight Your Teaching… and How To Fix That

I’m a mom of six children. I’ve been homeschooling eighteen years, and now that I have three preschoolers, I have another eighteen years of homeschooling to go!

Three of my children are adults. Cory is 24 years old. He’s a working man and a caring husband and father. Leslie is 21 and graduated from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, last year. She’s a stellar student who’s living in Europe as a missionary right out of college. Nathan is 20 years old and after one semester of college he was asked to work as a writing coach in the university’s writing center. Even more important than how well they’re doing in life, my three older kids love God and have a deep, growing relationship with him.

We also have three more kids ages 5, 3, and 2 who’ve been added to our family through adoption. As a 41-year-old mom, sometimes I’m overwhelmed with thinking of doing it ALL again, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to focus on one day at a time. And focus on one heart at a time.

I started off by telling you of my older kids’ successes in education and life because I want you to know it is possible.

If you would have told me three years, five years, or seven years ago where my kids would end up, I would have been relieved—but confused. I often fought with my kids on getting their work done. They seemed unmotivated at times. Some (most?!) of their work was done half-heartedly, and there was one child who just could not “get” the read-the-book and answer-the-questions model.

There were many homeschooling days I found myself in tears. I prayed for God to give me the answer, and when it came it wasn’t what I expected. “Throw out the lesson plans and stop trying to force learning. Look at each child individually. Focus on that child’s heart, and teach to that child.”

He said, “Throw out the lesson plans and stop trying to force learning.” @TriciaGoyer

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“But what about geography and geometry and all those other critical subjects?” I prayed (and fretted.) Still, God kept the answer that He spoke to my heart the same…

(This article is continued on AmericanHomeEducators.org)

 Prayer

God, thank you for speaking when we need to hear your voice. Thank you for teaching us according to our personal learning styles. Teach us how to interact with those around us in ways that honor their brilliance and uniqueness in your kingdom.


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Filed Under: About Me, faith, family, God, homeschooling, prayer, scripture, study, tricia goyer Tagged With: challenge, Children, Family, fight, home school, Homeschool, Jesus, older kids, parenting, prayer, tips


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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Read full privacy policy here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Celita says

    July 29, 2014 at 7:37 am

    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Godly Indian Mom says

    July 29, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    Thank you for sharing your story.This gives me hope.

    http://www.godlyindianmom.com/

    https://www.facebook.com/godlyindianmom

    Reply

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