Readiness
by Ray Notgrass
In recent weeks I have realized as never before the importance of readiness and motivation in the learning process. Our precious Liz, Hannah, and Daniel, whom the Lord brought to our home last year, have shown me both the joy of learning when one is ready and willing to learn and the difficulty of trying to teach those who are not ready to learn.
Liz, Hannah, and Daniel came to us with limited learning experiences. They had attended public schools and the girls had reservations about being homeschooled. It seemed that they were more interested in arguing with each other and questioning what we were doing than in listening and learning. It was our impression that they were woefully behind what we thought they should know and be able to do at their respective grade levels. They eventually did what they had to do and could not get out of--some of the time--but they really had no concept of a learning lifestyle.
We are thankful, however, that in the time they have been part of our family they have become willing to change and to grow. By the grace of God, they are now much more willing to learn. Let me give you a few examples. Soon after they moved in, Charlene started reading them the Little House books. She could not get through a chapter without stopping several times to deal with arguments and complaints. In more recent months we restarted the series with my reading the books with both parents and all six of our children present, including our three homeschool graduates who still live at home. Charlene has said she is amazed at how short the chapters are and how quickly we get through them now that we don't have to deal with constant interruptions. Liz, Hannah, and Daniel are learning how to listen and we older ones are getting to enjoy the Little House books again.
Early on, completing any project was a major accomplishment. We met constant resistance and complaints. Eight-year-old Daniel, however, has shown himself to be an avid reader. He has read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, Heidi, and many other books on his own. Ten-year-old Hannah recently sat down with our artist, Mary Evelyn, and finished two drawings that she entered in the county fair. Hannah received a third-place award for one of them. Liz, who is thirteen, applied herself diligently to embroidery work on a tote bag. She did a beautiful job and won first place in the county fair for her efforts.
We are currently involved in preparing for a Bible Bowl in September sponsored by a local church that annually brings over one thousand children together after eight weeks of intense study over a designated portion of Scripture. It has been a joy to see how Liz, Hannah, and Daniel have wanted to study and how well they have remembered what we have discussed. In a smaller mini-Bible Bowl last Saturday that was organized in preparation for the one in September, the team on which Liz, Hannah, and Daniel were members received the second-highest overall score; and Liz tied for fourth-best individual score. They are learning; and most importantly, they are learning God's Word!
We give credit to the Lord for these changes. We have tried to create an environment for learning instead of thinking that we had to get through certain material designated by so-called experts as being necessary for a particular age or grade level. Trying to follow a more traditional course only frustrated everyone involved. Our children have shown that when they are ready to learn, they can and will learn. For them, education has changed from being something they have to do to something they get to experience.
My point in all of this is to encourage you in your homeschooling. If your child is struggling with a particular subject, he or she may simply not be ready for it right now. We do not have to be bound by what is done in public schools. Trying to teach a child a subject just because it is in the curriculum for this point in this year makes no allowance for where the child is individually. Give the child a year or six months, and he or she may then devour what is now difficult.
As homeschoolers, you have the great opportunity of guiding your child according to his or her readiness and ability. If a subject is difficult right now, the child may well be ready for it later. Someone taught me many years ago that time is a friend, not an enemy. I encourage you to see the passage of time as a benefit and not a hurdle. Plato said, "Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind." It comes down to how you define education: is education getting through prescribed material that someone has said you have to cover at a particular time, or is education creating an environment that encourages learning at a child's own level of readiness and ability? Remember that the Lord does not allow us to experience things unless we are ready. Let us remember to treat our children the way He treats us.