Years ago, I came across this acrostic, and I wrote it down inside the front cover of my homeschool planning binder. I don’t remember where I first saw it, I wish I did because it has helped me tremendously through the years and I would like to thank whoever came up with it.
This acrostic has helped me focus on what’s important, rather than just trudging through to get school done regardless of the tears and bad attitudes (and my kids’ too). I hope this helps you too!
A = Attitude
While good attitudes all around toward school matter, the one that is most important for the day’s success in our homeschool is definitely my own. If I stay up too late or if I didn’t plan out my week ahead of time, I won’t be ready when Monday morning comes around. I may be more apt to let the kids sleep in or let them go off quietly to play rather than start school. I remember back when I was a student, I could always tell which teachers really enjoyed being there with the students and which ones couldn’t wait for the day to be over. Our attitude, as the teacher, will rub off on our kids. We need to find out what it is that will get us out of bed and ready to spend the whole day (including the countless interruptions that will no doubt come too), cheerfully teaching and interacting with our kids. Routines help (getting up early, drinking coffee or tea while the house is still quiet, devotions and prayer, healthy breakfasts, etc.), but is there something you are really looking forward to teaching your kids today? Do you have something fun planned? Is there a read aloud you can’t wait to get to later? Or are you just dreading the moment the math books come out? Our attitude TOWARD SCHOOL will impact our kid’s attitude towards it as well.
R = Relationships
We may be really excited to teach and some days we may even have everything planned out perfectly. On days like that I am ready to hit the ground running and then look back and see what a good teacher I am! However, I often remind myself that I am not homeschooling just to teach specific material. I am a mom, and I am teaching my own kids. Is it more important that they talk to each other respectfully or that they know specific facts? My relationship with my kids and their relationships with each other are more important than whatever it is that we are going to learn for school that day. I know schoolwork must get done—it will. But some days, we may need to spend a little time looking into our kids’ eyes, listening to what it so important to them, and reminding them that they are precious to us, before they will be willing to learn about stuff they really don’t care much about. Are all my kids getting along or did one of them wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Did one (or two) of them get in trouble with me already this morning, and now they don’t want to be in the same room as me? My kids are not going to learn very much if they are not fully present, even if I make them sit quietly at the table until “school” is over. Whatever lessons I had planned are not going to go well if there are relationship problems before we even start. More school will get done if relationships are addressed first.
T = Teaching
Now to what we spent all that time planning for, what we spent all that money on to make sure we have the best curriculum for every subject. Currently, my kids and I are learning about the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages. I love this time period. I can always get my kids interested by reminding them that they will soon learn about knights and dragons and King Arthur and jolly old England. Not everyday is exciting, and not everyday will be grand. But if we first focus on our own attitude and make a mental check that the relationships in our home are satisfactory, then the kids can learn. Even if they do not seem to pay attention through it all, they will remember more than you think. And they will know that they have a mom that loves them and that enjoys teaching and spending time with them everyday. That is better than checking off all the boxes.