Here I sit in the dentist office. Having 5 kids you could spend a lot of time in the dentist office! Checkups last month all went well – no cavities! Today is sealant day. Of course, checkups and preventative measures are important. Why else would I relegate years of my life to a dental waiting room?!
Checkups and preventative measures are important in homeschool too. Here is what to look for:
Holes No matter how well you plan and how organized you are, things can fall through the cracks. It is possible get to May and realize, “Yikes! We haven’t done music all year!” Time to figure out how that happened, how to fix it, and how to prevent it in the future.
Gaps Perhaps the science curriculum was not up to par or Pete the family parakeet died the week for learning the 7 times tables – whatever the reason, it is good to determine if there are any gaps in learning. Summer is a good time to fill in those gaps!
Inflammation and Overbite When there are so many great opportunities, it is easy for schedules to swell beyond reason! It is hard to resist the temptation of biting off more than our time and stress-levels can chew. It is always helpful to take a step back, get a good look at our priorities, and make adjustments accordingly.
Disease Gingivitis is no fun! Neither is poor-handwriting-itis, lazy-osis, nor grammar-atrophy! Best to diagnosis and find a treatment before it is too late!!
Discomfort Is your curriculum causing unnecessary pain?? Too boring? Too stringent? Not spiraling very high? Is the work area at home not comfortable? Granted, learning has seasons of difficulty – if it was always easy-schmeasy, how would we be stretched and grow? – but sometimes the level of discomfort must be addressed.
Development I know I don’t like to be reminded, but my children are growing up! Consequently, their needs change. A good hard look at where they are might raise the questions: Is this curriculum right for him now? Is she ready for a greater challenge? Do they need more independence? More guidance and structure? As our children change and grow, we need to be sure their education fits their development.
Healthy Habits As regular brushing and flossing is key to dental hygiene, there are habits key to learning hygiene. Reading, problem-solving, creativity, writing – these important habits are key to learning. Proper nutrition, sleep, and exercise as just as important for the brain as for the body.
Everyone gets off track sometimes. A good checkup helps us to re-group, re-focus. Our kids are better for it in the long run – both their smiles and their brains!
Copyright © 2014 J. Hoffman / Global Student Network
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com