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| Secrets of Successful Home School |  1. Have fun. Attitude is everything with home learning. If you will enjoy learning, your kids will enjoy it too. Make it tedious and they will respond as well. Try to make even monotonous tasks, pleasant at least. This is not to say that everything must be a 3-ring circus, but if you have a fresh, upbeat attitude even with times tables and spelling tests, this will reflect well on your children's enjoyment and learning potential.
2. Limit interruptions. If your biggest interruption is the phone, you need a good answering machine, which you can use during regularly scheduled learning time. You can also use voice mail. Tell friends and relatives about it and eventually they will respect this. This also means well meaning drop in visits and babysitting for friends, etc. Your children's learning time should be kept sacred. You will take advantage of it.
3. Devote your time to their studying. Do not do 101 things while your children are trying to study, because it will be impossible to have them focus and finish tasks at hand. Focus your attention on them, it is a priority that rewards!
4. Keep it easy. Try not to join the "Curriculum of the Month" club. Do not try to swap and change your education plans with every new program that appears, because it will not encourage your children's spirit. This does not mean that you should stay with something that is not useful for your children, just be cautious not to fly about like a butterfly in a meadow of flowers. Your children will quickly learn that they have to whine a bit to receive a new book, workbook or system immediately. Also, try to make your life simpler. Too many commitments and outside activities and responsibilities are not advisable, because it can cause schedule chaos. Try to keep your life simple and you will benefit from it.
5. Be sure of yourself and your kids. You will be rewarded, if you are doing the best you can. You can not be worse than an overload, underpaid public school teacher with only 6 hours and 24 - 30 children to teach. Overcome your own flaws with help, tutoring assistance and your own re-education. Don't consider yourself short. Children can study in any environment even the slums of Calcutta! Devote them your time and enthusiasm, give them good basic materials and faith and you will be even better that any qualified teacher. Your heart has the best interest of your children. Allow it work for them.
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