Setting up a productive homeschooling environment

Tanya Kemp

We personally made the adjustment to leave the traditional brick and mortar school when my daughter was very young. The adjustments I have made over the years took time and intention to implement and I now see it as a journey that is never complete – always changing, and always requiring adaptability from my end. Over the years I have been learning how better to adjust our life and home environment to help us be productive, focused, and alert while remaining relationship and connection focused. I have many times been confronted with the conflict between what I believe my child’s developmental stage is and what the grade level expectations are. I have learned how to live by my family’s unique and authentic profile rather than fit into something that we ‘should’ be. 

I decided early on to take the opportunity to tune into my child’s individual learning needs, see her for who SHE is and cater to her learning style and interests. That is quite a privilege! So, I get to choose to wrap her learning completely around her interests, or follow the structure provided by the district, and tailor it to meet her individual needs – and of course giving lots of weight to her voice in the matter. Both options offer a huge opportunity for agency and autonomy – key aspects in developing dynamic intelligence.

Here are some of my take-aways over the years

Action Points

Choose one or two of the points above that resonate with you and that you want to implement in your day to day life. Perhaps the points above just stimulated your thinking about other helpful adjustments you need to make that works for YOUR family. Make a plan today about how to implement it. Discuss with your partner and your kids and take one step TODAY towards making changes to suit your child’s real needs.

Connection

Conversation starter: Share a story of a time when you were pleasantly surprised by an unforeseen change

Self-Compassion

Tension is who you think you should be – Relaxation is who you are

Chinese Proverb

Take a minute to lie or sit down for a simple meditation break. Use your breath to notice each part of your body. Starting with your toes…each time you exhale, move your focus/awareness upward to the next checkpoint on your body.

Where did you feel pleasant sensations like warmth or relaxation?

Where did you feel unpleasant sensations like stress, tightness or tension?

Can you breathe with those spots in your awareness for a few moments longer and see if the exhale can help you soften, release and let go of tension?