Comments on: Motivating Students with Relevant Lessons http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/ Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:22:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Who Will Represent Me? http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/comment-page-1/#comment-2161 Who Will Represent Me? Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:34:00 +0000 http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/#comment-2161 [...] still thinking about motivation, rewards, and consequences, but last week politics squeezed it’s way into my computer time and muddled my routine. Since [...] [...] still thinking about motivation, rewards, and consequences, but last week politics squeezed it’s way into my computer time and muddled my routine. Since [...]

]]> By: MInTheGap http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/comment-page-1/#comment-2157 MInTheGap Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:50:07 +0000 http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/#comment-2157 It's neat how it works, isn't it? When we focus on doing something for a reason other than the money (serving God, providing the best service, providing for family, whatever) we find that the money comes quickly behind. The focus can never be the money, but it is an end product. It’s neat how it works, isn’t it? When we focus on doing something for a reason other than the money (serving God, providing the best service, providing for family, whatever) we find that the money comes quickly behind.

The focus can never be the money, but it is an end product.

]]> By: Renae http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/comment-page-1/#comment-2158 Renae Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:33:13 +0000 http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/#comment-2158 Laurie, Thank you for visiting my blog. I completely agree with your statement about education. Education is not memorizing facts. My focus is to help my children learn to reason and grow in self-government. However, I do believe children need to practice certain things. I do not drill my children for facts. Our math program includes lots of games, and our spelling lessons are short. Perhaps this post gives the wrong impression of our homeschool, but I'm just trying to reason through my questions about how best to encourage my children, my son especially. My other two are little. You are correct in assuming I'm not an unschooler. ;) I didn't even know such a thing existed before I started blogging a year ago. I do agree with some of the ideas, but, honestly, I don't know much about the philosophy. I'm very stubborn, so it would take a lot to convince me to change course now that I've researched and thought through my own philosophy of education. I do appreciate learning and hearing from others though, because I know I don't have everything figured out. Laurie,
Thank you for visiting my blog. I completely agree with your statement about education. Education is not memorizing facts. My focus is to help my children learn to reason and grow in self-government. However, I do believe children need to practice certain things.

I do not drill my children for facts. Our math program includes lots of games, and our spelling lessons are short. Perhaps this post gives the wrong impression of our homeschool, but I’m just trying to reason through my questions about how best to encourage my children, my son especially. My other two are little.

You are correct in assuming I’m not an unschooler. ;) I didn’t even know such a thing existed before I started blogging a year ago. I do agree with some of the ideas, but, honestly, I don’t know much about the philosophy.

I’m very stubborn, so it would take a lot to convince me to change course now that I’ve researched and thought through my own philosophy of education. I do appreciate learning and hearing from others though, because I know I don’t have everything figured out.

]]> By: Laurie http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/comment-page-1/#comment-2160 Laurie Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:03:37 +0000 http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/#comment-2160 Our house is not a dictatorship. After the kids reach a certain age (and probably younger than you think), they are *mostly* treated as part of the family, and not as kids to be bossed around anymore. For instance, recently when Hubby was trying to solve the "the toys don't get picked up as often as we'd like" issue, he suggested we get a toy time-out box. Not a new idea. But it's the way the box is used. It's not only a means of controlling "the kids" stuff but all of our stuff. Because, face it, Hubby and I leave things around where they don't belong. We forget to put our shoes in the closet, etc. Why should only the children be put to punishment? So the box also holds our things if we forget to put them away. We have a family UNIT, not a Parents VS Kids thing. Learning can be much the same. I don't force my kids to do multiplication tables or writing exercises every day. But their favorite thing to do is read. My 3yDD loves to play with letters and numbers. My older kids read to her. My 5yDD writes stories left and right...about all kinds of animals. She also loves to do artwork of any kind. My 7yDS loves anything to do with science. And what one likes, the others get involved in. When Hubby gets interested in a documentary on the History Channel, often it will bring up great history discussions. Books bring lots of history in focus. Social studies is all around us all the time but we find fun ways to study it, such as our big Chinese New Year gala this past spring. I know mine are young but I haven't found a need to force knowledge yet. I do expect them to do their part in helping the household function (some people call that 'chores' but I dislike the negative connotation in that word) so there is instruction involved in that. But it's not been something that involves me screaming and coming to a stand-off with them over. It's so interesting to me to see people who chose to bring their kids home from school and still do it the same way school does. There's really no need. Education isn't about seeing how many facts you can push into a kid...it's about teaching them to THINK and know how to get the answers if they need them. I'm probably too unschoolish for you, but these are my thoughts. ;) Our house is not a dictatorship. After the kids reach a certain age (and probably younger than you think), they are *mostly* treated as part of the family, and not as kids to be bossed around anymore.

For instance, recently when Hubby was trying to solve the “the toys don’t get picked up as often as we’d like” issue, he suggested we get a toy time-out box. Not a new idea. But it’s the way the box is used. It’s not only a means of controlling “the kids” stuff but all of our stuff. Because, face it, Hubby and I leave things around where they don’t belong. We forget to put our shoes in the closet, etc. Why should only the children be put to punishment? So the box also holds our things if we forget to put them away. We have a family UNIT, not a Parents VS Kids thing.

Learning can be much the same. I don’t force my kids to do multiplication tables or writing exercises every day. But their favorite thing to do is read. My 3yDD loves to play with letters and numbers. My older kids read to her. My 5yDD writes stories left and right…about all kinds of animals. She also loves to do artwork of any kind. My 7yDS loves anything to do with science. And what one likes, the others get involved in. When Hubby gets interested in a documentary on the History Channel, often it will bring up great history discussions. Books bring lots of history in focus. Social studies is all around us all the time but we find fun ways to study it, such as our big Chinese New Year gala this past spring.

I know mine are young but I haven’t found a need to force knowledge yet. I do expect them to do their part in helping the household function (some people call that ‘chores’ but I dislike the negative connotation in that word) so there is instruction involved in that. But it’s not been something that involves me screaming and coming to a stand-off with them over.

It’s so interesting to me to see people who chose to bring their kids home from school and still do it the same way school does. There’s really no need. Education isn’t about seeing how many facts you can push into a kid…it’s about teaching them to THINK and know how to get the answers if they need them. I’m probably too unschoolish for you, but these are my thoughts. ;)

]]> By: Charity http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/comment-page-1/#comment-2159 Charity Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:23:44 +0000 http://lifenurturingeducation.com/2008/08/21/motivating-students-with-relevant-lessons/#comment-2159 Renae said, "I’m tired of the entertainment focus, even in our churches." I was volunteering in the preschool program at our church last year and one week the woman who was there with me took out a Bible and said to the kids, "This is the Bible. It is where the story you just heard (on the video) came from. Videos are fun to watch, but this is the word of God in this book!" She was so fed up with the focus on multi-media entertainment. Renae said, “I’m tired of the entertainment focus, even in our churches.”

I was volunteering in the preschool program at our church last year and one week the woman who was there with me took out a Bible and said to the kids, “This is the Bible. It is where the story you just heard (on the video) came from. Videos are fun to watch, but this is the word of God in this book!” She was so fed up with the focus on multi-media entertainment.

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