Have you ever met someone who is just the most natural teacher and thought, that is SO not me? I am not patient enough. I am not nice enough. I am not good enough to teach my own children school-y things. Wait. Whoa. Back up! You are teaching them every day. Why should something academic be any different? Teaching takes heart, determination, and having curriculum you feel good about is a nice bonus. We can help you with choosing a curriculum you feel good about. That leaves the heart and determination to you! I did not mention confidence because, well, that comes with time and experience. Now take that heart and determination and find your teaching place! This is how you do it.
First of all, these are things you probably do as a parent and don’t realize. And these are all things good teachers do:
- Listen to your learner’s ideas.
- Make eye contact when speaking.
- Observe your learner.
- Model expected behavior.
- Communicate clear expectations.
- Repeat as often as needed.
- Provide opportunities to practice the new skill.
Secondly, teaching is not about the content. Wait, what? Well, it is and it isn’t. We all have areas that we enjoy teaching and those we would rather not. What is it about that latter category? Bad memories from your own learning experience? Lack of confidence? It’s messy? You can use all of the skills mentioned above and not be fluent in a particular area.
Sigh, some people just seem like a natural teacher. They are patient and answer every question. They are creative and seem to make everything fun. They ask the student what they think about something rather than tell them what they should think. They are encouraging and positive. They are curious about everything. And they seem tireless! How do they do it? Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
If this is not you, don’t worry. Look at those bullet points again. You are probably doing all of these things as a parent already. You don’t have to put on your teacher hat or separate your parent self from your teacher self. It’s a matter of tapping into your teaching place as a parent. It’s your job to find it! ~ Sara
