The Subject You Don’t Want to Teach

If you’re not having fun and completely enjoying any of your homeschool subjects – you’re doing it wrong!

Do you hate teaching math?  Then how can you expect your child to learn it, let alone enjoy learning it?  If you’re struggling with teaching a certain subject, or you just “don’t want to” then you need to step back and look at your curriculum or your style.

It’s ok to use different styles of teaching for different subjects!  Yes, you can do that!  If you are totally classical style with history — you’re allowed to “Unschool” science or “Montessori” math!  Seriously, you can do that, don’t be afraid to try something new.

Don’t go out and buy all new curriculum, or sell the curriculum you have just yet.  Give it a try first.  Just take that subject and try a completely different style — there are so many things to choose from, you are NOT stuck in a box, don’t make your child be either.  Sometimes you just need to change things for a while and go back and forth through your child’s growth.

It’s the same if your child simply isn’t getting a certain subject — just try a different method or style of teaching — only for that subject at first and see how it goes. Try a unit study, a lap-book, notebooking, anything that is different and be sure you and your child enjoy it.

Your child should enjoy learning. If they aren’t, there is something missing or wrong in your style, method or approach, or you simply need to try a different curriculum — oftentimes it’s LESS for that subject.

Pebbles from a creek make great math “curriculum” for the first few years at least, and could be taken further if you wish, don’t think it has to be from a book or has to be complex, or what Mrs. Jones is using for her 3 prodigals down the street.  Don’t over-complicate things because it becomes stressful for you and your child.

Sometimes you simply need to drop the subject entirely for a little while.  Yes, you’re allowed to do that too.

Sometimes it’s an attitude that needs adjusting.  If you and your child are struggling due to attitude issues, try something completely different.  Stop doing school for a while and go do something else.  Go to the park, library, hiking or whatever — don’t do school at all for a whole week, but make it a point to spend time with your child/ren doing things the whole time.  Play games, talk, read to them, color with them, garden, cook — things you should be doing together anyway.  Then go back and try school and first make it fun for you to teach, and then it’ll be fun for them to learn.

And don’t forget to pray about it, yes, God cares about the details of homeschooling too.  If you’re struggling with teaching a certain subject, not enjoying it, your child isn’t getting it or enjoying it — pray about it.  Ask God what you can do different to make it enjoyable for you both.  It works.