Photo: Pixabay.
The magician, before the captivated and astonished gaze of his audience, finally pulls the white rabbit everyone was waiting for out of the hat. Applause. This magician, after long rehearsals in front of a mirror, knew how he was going to perform the trick, and, luckily, so did the rabbit. Neither of them improvises anything. The same is true of the comedian, who delivers a speech before the attentive gaze of his audience, emphasizing the elements that elicit the most laughter, or those that create a special atmosphere for punchlines. However, he doesn't improvise his speech, which was surely crafted with pen and paper for hours, and perhaps days, in front of a mirror. He probably adjusts it based on the audience's reaction during the performance. Fulton Sheen, the bishop who rivaled the Beatles in audience numbers, dedicated 30 hours to preparation in order to "improvise" a one-hour program.
As we can see, improvisation is not an option, since we always use the knowledge and habits we have previously acquired and adapt them to a new situation. This does not mean we cannot learn or acquire new habits throughout life when circumstances require it. We can refer especially to the circumstances we are currently experiencing with the confinement measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which has forced us to become, overnight, homeschoolers. Even so, we cannot improvise and give what we don't have. This is why it's so important to equip ourselves—and our children—with good habits, because neither great achievements nor great failures can be improvised.
Now, since the suspension of in-person classes, all parents have begun to improviseIn reality, as we've been seeing, we can't improvise, since we all act according to the good and bad habits we've acquired, and in this specific case, we're acting as educators, good or bad, but within a purely familial or minimal nuclear sphere, without other institutions to help us. We'll have to dust off our old habits!
“But I feel like I’m improvising all day long!” a mother might say. “I’m trying to turn my house into a school, but I just can’t manage it.” To improvise or not, that is the question. “Before, I just helped my children with their homework, and now I have to be the teacher, the tutor, the parent, and the mother and father all at the same time!”
Relax! We understand the worry and overwhelm. Many of us are in the same boat. But let's look at some points that can help you succeed in your attempt to be the teacher-professor-mother/father From your children, so that you don't have to improvise and you emerge relatively unscathed from the attempt. First, we need to prepare our trick, then rehearse in front of the mirror, and then go on stage.
The trick
First, you need to think about what you want your children to achieve. You've probably already considered this, as it's part of your family's educational plan, and you've likely asked yourself at some point whether you want your children to be happy, honest, bilingual, artistic, generous, and so on, as part of that family project. However, in these circumstances, you should ask yourself again, very seriously, what you want for your children. Keep in mind that there will be many things you can no longer do due to isolation or the closure of activities. This will be a good time to consider whether the plan you envision for your children depends solely on external factors or is rooted in a more solid foundation of human and transcendent relationships; whether this plan relies heavily on external support or can stand on its own; whether your children are independent or you need to be constantly hovering over them; whether they are free or controlled by external influences.
It's time to review our strategy, thoroughly and seriously. What kind of children do we want to raise? What habits do we want them to develop so they don't have to improvise in their lives? How are we approaching this? Let's think about what It's really necessary for our children.Due to the circumstances, we cannot settle for small things.
Now, among those habits we want our children to acquire, we must pay special attention, in these times of crisis, and outside of any crisis as well, to the generation of spaces and routines that allow the acquisition of other habits. It will therefore be necessary to put scheduled times, so that our children can find the time to fulfill their continued effort through the study or performance of tasks assigned by the educational center or belonging to the home; delimit and limit the times of use of the technology; think about common moments of amusement, preferably loosely regulated or free; moments of community, such as family meals, etc.
It seems simple, but how hard it is to maintain it day after day! It's undoubtedly difficult, but nobody said it would be easy. The encouraging thing is that these habits are immune to crises, even to age.
On the other hand, we must understand that the home is not an educational center. Or, rather, it is, but not formally. While parents are the primary educators of their children and the school secondarily collaborates with parents in the education and upbringing of children and young people, we will not be able to recreate a school setting at homeWhich isn't necessary either. We'll follow the school's guidelines, of course, but the house is still a family home and shouldn't be transformed into a school. We'll have to mark special routines for them to do their schoolwork And follow the plan established with the school, but maintain your usual family atmosphere. Parents can't become teachers in 14 days. They will simply do what is within their reach, without overwhelming or becoming overwhelmed themselves! Children need healthy parents!
Test
After thinking up the trick, let's rehearse... although this time the rabbits will be your children and yourselves.
First, they'll have to practice the trick in front of a mirror. This means they should examine their own parenting habits, since their children will adopt these habits by observing them in them. It's a good time to review habits and behaviorsand compare them with the "mirror of tricks" they had envisioned as a family educational project. Remember, nothing is improvised! You must rise to the occasion!
Secondly, when "class time" arrives, they will have to schedule short lessons, for about 20 minutes (especially for the youngest children and those who do not have the habit of studying), in a place in the house where they are used to doing homework. To insist on serious, deliberate, and well-done work. Avoid distractorslike messages arriving on Mom's cell phone, or the older brother playing a shouting game. breaks Short, but frequent, if possible outdoors. Avoiding all types of screens during recreation, and for most of the time at home, since they will not help much for the development of attention, imagination, vocabulary and willpower.
Reward Good behaviors or achievements should be recognized, focusing on the effort rather than the results. In this respect, it is advisable to individuality, both in the congratulation and in the correction, if possible.
Promote a gradual learningNot everything can be learned all at once or in a single day. Drop by drop. The important thing is to form the habit.This way, you'll find the right time for each child to do their activities, their learning pace, and their strengths and weaknesses. But don't worry, this is just a trial run. There's time to correct and adjust what works best for each child.
Function
When the time comes for the performance, they will only have to put into practice what they know works well, because they have already thought through their trick, their family educational project, and the habits they want to develop; they rehearsed it and compared it with their own habits, implementing certain simple but consistent habits over time; now all that remains is to go on stage. Here they will have to overcoming fears that might overwhelm them. Whether or not they're doing things right. Whether they're demanding too much. Whether it's normal to lose patience, etc. Relax! It's very difficult to make a mistake with such a thorough process. And even if they do, they'll be doing what they thought was best for their children. After all, it can't be that bad.
They will also have to overcoming tiredness of being on duty for many hours of the day. Since the play they chose to perform is a one-act play, from morning till night. For this, They will need a good pointer He should keep them updated on their progress, and they can work with him, taking breaks together to review the script, remaining true to the author's intention. The important thing is not to give up. If we know where we want to go, we'll make the effort dedicated to that day, persevering, advancing little by little toward the goal. One day at a time! But without losing sight of our direction or wasting time.
As you can see, it is not possible to be homeschooler In 14 days. But it is possible to be a home that educates, primarily through example and then through actions, however well and however it turns out, but always seeking the best for the children. And not just for 14 days, but for eternity. Don't be discouraged!
