When They Hate School…What Do You Do?

What do you do when your child hates school?  Homeschool, going to school, high school, middle school…

Does anyone actually like middle school?

Oh I digress…

Good literature is the absolute cornerstone of any education

When your child hates school you have a few things to evaluate.

How are you doing school?

If your child is attending school, and hates it, you need to do some digging.

Is it the curriculum?  Is your child succeeding or seeing progress in his work?  I know Daly Kay was not and that is why we chose to homeschool her.  Not that homeschooling is THE way to go for everyone, but in our case, school wasn’t.  So maybe your child is having challenges with friends, teachers, subjects, comprehension…whatever the challenge is, get to the root of it and be pro-active.

If your child hates school and you are homeschooling, you have some homework to do!

Is your curriculum really exciting to them?  Do they see a reason for what they are learning?  Are you using workbooks that seem overwhelming and endless?  Or are you free-stylin’ it a bit too much for the kiddo that needs a workbook to see that they are getting somewhere?  Evaluate yourself seriously…are you competing against other moms or trying to impress others with your child’s workload, while your sweet daughter or son is wondering what in the world they will ever use this knowledge for?  Are you loading them down and stressing them out, or are they motivated to learn because the curriculum and subject matter is intensely exciting and thought provoking?

Lastly, this could be a character issue.  Is your child hating on school because they are lazy?  Is diligence a real struggle for them?  Because you can have wonderful curriculum and be teaching everything just right, but if junior is lazy then your best laid plans for school may have to be put on hold to teach him the value of work!

Life-long learning is the goal folks, not just a high school diploma.  A heart that is consistently turning towards more wisdom, gaining understanding, and seeking knowledge is the ultimate end of an education hard won.  When junior hates school, you really have to seek the Lord and ask Him to illuminate what exactly is the challenge.  Ask Him to open your eyes and then act on what He shows you.  School is just a vehicle for an education, and if your car ain’t gettin’ your kids where they need to go, you may need to trade it in.