Are You Helpful or Nitpicking?

Balance. When evaluating a student’s schoolwork, it can be a challenge to find the right balance between being helpful and nitpicking. Here are a few things to consider:

Relationship

Does your evaluation style seem to build or tear down the trust relationship between you and your child?

A negative, impatient, or critical tone can make even the most minor critique seem overwhelming to a sensitive child.
Be sensitive to each student’s abilities and don’t overwhelm a struggling student with too much negative feedback at once. Focus on the most important thing for the moment. There will be other days to fix other things.
If you and your student have difficulty communicating on a subject, it may be a good idea to enlist someone else to help the student in that subject. Preserving the relationship is more important than doing everything yourself.
Any criticism should always be focused on the work, not on the student. Children never forget being treated as though they are stupid or stubborn, when they are simply struggling. Criticism should never begin with “you.” Instead, practice saying things such as “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by…” (for an essay or report), or “It looks as though we need a little more practice on…” (whatever the area of difficulty).
The sweetness of lips of lips increases learning. Proverbs 16:21

Do you always play fair by making sure that the student knows the exact expectations for the assignment? Read more

How I Chose Great Books for Excellence in Literature

I often get questions on how I chose the books that are included in the Excellence in Literature curriculum, so I thought I’d address it today. It may help you decide whether or not this is the right curriculum for your family.

There were many factors that went into my choice of books, but I considered the following questions to be most important as I selected what to include.

Is this work foundational to an understanding of western civilization and culture?
Is it a classic work that is regularly alluded to in current conversation (including newspaper, radio, books, movies, etc.)?
Does it tell the truth about life and consequences?
Is there something compelling about this particular work that makes it, more than another, deserve a place in the curriculum? Read more