It's Okay to Go Back!

While I was talking to my aunt (who has very successfully homeschooled 8 children...well, some are still in the works) and my hubby, I came across a little gold nugget! The gold nugget is this: it's okay to go back! What in the world does that mean?

Well, it's along the lines of what I spoke about in my last blog post. I have been trying to encourage independence in the girls' studies when possible. They seem to be able to do certain things well on their own, so I let them and I am nearby to help when they have questions. It has worked okay in some areas, but like I said before, one of my girls was having trouble in one area. However, I had a hard time deciding whether or not I should really sit there and go through a whole lesson with her; for some reason it felt like doing that would take a step backward. I just wasn't sure. However, I was frustrated and so was she. So I had to call in the pro (my aunt) and ask her what she would do. Now listen; it may be her personality, or it may be that she gets distracted easily. Whatever it is, I'm hoping we can work through it.

While I was telling my hubby about the conversation I had with my aunt, he commented about something I said that struck him. I mentioned somewhere along the way that in school they just keep on going forward (think MATH!), but here we have the liberty to go back if necessary. That's another area that one of my girl's needs help in. I don't feel like she's strong enough at her basic facts (she doesn't know her basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, division facts quickly enough). Well, we are "going back" and strengthening her knowledge in those. We are moving forward in one sense; we are still progressing in a math text, but we are doing basic math flashcards to get better at the basics. Something she should already "have" but doesn't.

I just wanted to pass along our golden nugget for the day: IT'S OKAY TO GO BACK!!!  You have my permission! (I know it sounds silly, but even though I was considering "going back" in a few areas, I didn't have the peace of mind to do it until my aunt told me to. I don't think I'll have a problem in the future, but I sort-of needed "permission" because in this world we are taught to just keep going. I think I'll change that notion. I'm pretty sure we can get further ahead by sometimes stepping back.)

Happy Homeschooling!! =)