Worth the Interruption

The usual routine around here is that we do school in the morning. I start off working with dd16 for a while, and then she goes off to work independently while I work with dsds14, who needs pretty much constant supervision. We do that until lunch, and after lunch I work.

Today after lunch I took off for the post office to ship some books, then made quick stops at the bank and the video store. After I got home, I had about five minutes in front of the computer screen before dd16 popped into the office to ask for help with an essay question in her economics book.

This led us to discuss the issue for a good 20 minutes, which was occasionally punctuated by her comments expressing continued confusion. So I kept talking, bringing in points made in the book (which is Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell, in case you’re interested). And all of a sudden, she caught on.

She then wrote up her answer to the question, and when I checked it, I could see that she had come to the point of understanding.

I think this is one of the greatest advantages of homeschooling. You start out with a student you already know very well, and over the years you come to know them even better. So when they ask you for help with something, you know how to approach the issue and how to help them with it.

Since you’re not on a class schedule, you can sit and work with them for as long as it takes until they reach the point of understanding. Sometimes it happens quickly, and other times it takes some extra effort. But there is great satisfaction in knowing that you helped bring them to the point of understanding, however long it might take.

However, it also means that you will be interrupted in the middle of your work at times. But as much as I may love what I do, I always keep in mind that my main job is homeschooling.