Am I going to be able to homeschool him?

[mama_ani]

My question definitely isn't "can my son learn if he is taught at home?" but it's "will I be able to adjust my style to fit his to teach him at home?"
I homeschooled my older three girls for six years. I am definitely more academic than hands-on and I think I just got lucky that the older girls were too. My son is definitely not a seatwork kind of kid. He's very active, very hands-on. I am really worried about being able to school him in the way he needs. I know he will learn & be fine no matter what his learning style but I worry that I will always struggle with it.
Has anyone schooled a kid who learns basically the polar opposite of what you are used to? How did you adjust? Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by mama_ani

My question definitely isn't "can my son learn if he is taught at home?" but it's "will I be able to adjust my style to fit his to teach him at home?"

Seeing your signature, you're speaking about either the 2 y/o or the 4 y/o, right?

My first thought is that he's likely to change--not entirely of course, but as you know, there is a big difference between a toddler/preschooler and an older child in terms of attention spans, activity levels, etc.

My older two are very, very different. One is very laid back, hands-on, experimental, likes working with others, often needs to talk out loud to solve problems and is basically a "get messy, make mistakes!" sort of learner.

The other prefers to work alone, is a perfectionist, methodical, organized, driven, and needs a lot of alone-time for thinking things through.

Adjusting to them was, for me, waaaay easier than trying to fit either of them into a hole that didn't fit them, kwim? And, it's only gotten easier as they've gotten older and become more independent.

While there are challenges, it helps to keep in mind that we homeschool FOR THEM, that this is THEIR education, not mine and that it has to meet THEIR needs.

[tankgirl73]

Well, I didn't homeschool academic girls first, but I definitely am an academic bookworm myself and TRIED to teach my son that way when he was younger...

EPIC FAIL.

Did I learn to change and adapt? Yup, because I had to. Took me awhile. I certainly didn't get my start on changing when he was just 4, so you're already ahead of me there!

He's now 12, and the past couple of years I've learned about Charlotte Mason and Waldorf and Montessori, and I've incorporated ideas from all of those into our days and our style. I find it's actually a GOOD fit for me now... if only because it's so much easier than trying to stuff him into my mold every day!!! But there were some serious paradigm shifts that had to happen in my brain!

But they did shift, and I think we're doing okay... so, so can you.

[ikesmom]

Originally Posted by mama_ani

My question definitely isn't "can my son learn if he is taught at home?" but it's "will I be able to adjust my style to fit his to teach him at home?"
I homeschooled my older three girls for six years. I am definitely more academic than hands-on and I think I just got lucky that the older girls were too. My son is definitely not a seatwork kind of kid. He's very active, very hands-on. I am really worried about being able to school him in the way he needs. I know he will learn & be fine no matter what his learning style but I worry that I will always struggle with it.
Has anyone schooled a kid who learns basically the polar opposite of what you are used to? How did you adjust? Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

I think a lot of it depends on how you both approach it. Maybe your ds is gonna teach you how to learn his way .

My youngest is almost 5 and very stubborn ; not a follower..but a leader. He even tries to list a number of topics to discuss at meal time right after our prayer and tell everyone when it is their turn to talk. I will say that it is a challenge to embrace his head strong nature at times , but also absolutely wonderful at the same time. I still insist on respect while listening to his ideas because after all that is what he is asking for ..someone to listen. When we grow older there are usually to many things in life that keep us from expressing ourselves or being heard by others..as his mama I got to listen even if it drives me crazy.