Overcoming the Monotony of our Home School

Organized, methodical, prepared, task-oriented… these are all my strengths.  

Creative, spontaneous, imaginative, carefree… these are far from my strengths! 

So what’s a mom/teacher to do when she realizes that her kids find their school routines boring, even at home? 

Of course, my logical personality repeatedly explained that life is not all about being entertained and having fun.  Work must be done.  Sometimes labor is enjoyable, but other times it is tedious.

Still, I knew my kids had a point; our school days were in need of some liveliness.  After surveying the boys on what they would consider a fun addition to our home school and then pondering and praying over their input, an idea surfaced in my typically unimaginative brain – a system of rewards that I (not so creatively) penned “School Year Incentives".

Now, my practical side knows that in this life we are not always compensated to the same degree of our diligence and that that our motivation should not merely be to get a prize.  As a result, I have been hesitant to give tangible rewards.  After all, we should learn first and foremost to do our best for God’s glory rather than selfish gain. 

But my other practical side realizes that children who receive much of their education outside of the home have their own rewards, including parties, prize bins, certificates of honor, and lunch and recess with friends everyday.  So I am willing to compromise a bit on my “reward” stance.

I decided upon an incentive system in which the boys earn points (given in pennies) which may be accumulated and then redeemed for items from the “shopping list”.

Certain behaviors - listening, obeying, and having a good attitude – are expected and are not a means of earning points, although misbehavior may result in losing points. 

Exceptional academic performance - including completing daily language and math assignments without error, scoring high on tests and reports, memorizing historical documents, watching documentaries, and reading extra books - are several ways to earn points.  The boys are not only motivated to work more carefully and diligently, but also to take pleasure in the extra effort they are putting into learning.

Items on the shopping list include but are not limited to the following:

10 points – a candy bar

25 points – a Dairy Queen blizzard or a bag of candy

35 points - invite a friend over

60 points – no chores for a week

75 points – movie date (including popcorn) with either mom or dad

100 points – $10 cash

Hmmm… maybe I should create an incentive list for myself!

Not hitting the snooze button in the morning = 1 point

Staying awake while Zachary reads out loud = 1 point

Not checking emails or facebook before school is finished for the day = 1 point

Not panicking when Brandon cannot figure out an Algebra problem = 2 points

My “shopping list” would look much like the boys’ list.  Undoubtedly, I would work towards a Blizzard, no chores for a week, and a movie date.

When I first introduced our new plan and read through the “shopping list”, the boys became so ecstatic they laughed uncontrollably!  (Yes, we really needed some fun in our school days!)

The new addition to our school year is no substitute for loving, consistent discipline, whose foundation was laid years before we ever considered homeschooling.  But it is a nice supplement that is providing a little more joy to what had become a rather monotonous school routine.

“…for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7b