Encouraging Delight Directed Learning

Cindy wrote: “I just finished reading your “10 No-Fail Strategies for Choosing High School Curriculum” and have a couple questions – specifically about #6.  My son is 14 and is in LLOOVVEE with birds. According to your strategy, I shouldn’t “make a course” out of it.  I agree with your statement, but on the other hand, I don’t know how to encourage him in this particular interest.”

How can you encourage a passion in your children without making it into a school subject?

1. Find a mentor,
2. Don’t work ahead,
3. Follow behind.

Encourage them in their interests by finding mentors through clubs and colleges.  You may need to google “ornithology clubs” to find a group, but I know there are many.  You can find mentors by contacting small, friendly colleges to find a helpful professor.  Ask around at church and other community groups to see if you can find an adult with the same interests.  It took a LONG time asking before we found a mentor in economics.  The first two we tried weren’t a good fit, but they eventually led to a great professor who really took my Alex under his wing.  Ask yourself, if you had that interest as an adult, how would YOU find a way to meet like-minded people?

Of course, that also means that you have to go with your child, drive them, wait for them, and all the other inconvenient things that happen to parents that encourage their children’s interests.  Sorry about that!  I got to be good friends with my barresta during those years of my life!  You can also search curriculum catalogs, and see what books and curriculum your child seems to love.  My son actually ASKED for Sonlight American Government when he was young, just because he was interested.  Let them look in the catalog.  For birds, I know that National Geographic can be a good place to start.  Watch videos, and listen for clues about how to get involved while your son is just enjoying the content.   Remember, if Courtney can become a Vet Assistant by following her dreams, then we can find a way of encouraging passion in our children, too!  Here is the link to Courtney.

Don’t work ahead of them by writing tests or worksheets.  You don’t have to assess them with tests, just look at what they are doing and saying.  Allow them to write school papers on the topic of their choice.  Then if they produce some high school writing on the subject they love, then you can include that in their documentation of the class.  I tried to OFTEN give them the choice of writing topics.  Toward the end of the year I would have to say, “Ok, but this time NOTHING on economics or American history!”

And finally, follow along behind them as they enjoy their interests.  Try to capture what you can for class documentation.  Writings, drawings, work experiences, record of group meetings, etc.  Just grab samples of what they do for fun, without making them do anything.  When the year is done, you can group those experiences together and use it as a course description of what was done.

In my Sample Comprehensive Record, you can see example of the “Self Directed Courses” that we did in our homeschool.   Critical Thinking, Public Speaking, Occupational Education, and Russian History were on Kevin’s record.  My other son had self-directed courses in economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, business law, psychology, principles of marketing, etc.  It’s possible for kids to learn things JUST because they love it.  And parents can pick up the mess they leave behind and turn it into a wonderful course description for what the kid has done!

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