Monday, December 6, 2010

MORE Homeschooling Advice from Michelle

Now that we know what the Duggars use to homeschool, let's see how and why they have chosen home education:

What do the Duggars most like about homeschooling?
With 19 kids, homeschooling gives Jim Bob and Michelle great flexibility. They are able to take road trips, attend conferences, and embark on educational field trips. In addition, home education allows their kids to work at their own pace. They can whiz through lessons that they understand or take extra time on the ones that don't come as easily. Some of the Duggars have graduated early and are now taking classes and gaining hands-on experience in the fields that interest them. Jill is considering nursing, Jana is studying under a midwife, Jinger is looking into photography, Jessa loves teaching her younger siblings, and John-David helps Josh at his car lot and ran for Alderman in this month's election (he came VERY close to winning). John, Jana, and Jill recently became First Responders and joined the volunteer fire department.

How does Michelle motivate her kids?
The Duggars are eager to teach their children the value of hard work. When Justin completes a spelling worksheet in record time or Joy-Anna drills James on his math facts, Michelle awards them with a piece of sugarless gum or a small candy. The Duggars are obsessed with pickles -- believe it or not, some prefer a juicy pickle over a handful of mouthwatering Skittles.

How do you motivate your kids?

4 comments:

  1. This question is Michelle Duggar...
    I love your show and your family...
    It is great to see such great values but, I was wondering...
    What would you do and say if one of your children or grandchildren told you that they were gay?

    This is something that I would love to hear your opinion on...

    ReplyDelete
  2. We interviewed Michelle Duggar in October but will not be speaking with her in the near future.
    The Duggars are taking a break from interviews until closer to the airing of "19 Kids and Counting" season 5.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My kids attend public school, but we spend a lot of time around the dining room table doing homework. My kids are motivated by their own sense of wanting to do well, and also they want to make us (parents) proud of them. They work very hard at school and put in the extra study time. Grades and teacher comments (comments about behavior and attitude are just as important as class grades) are their own rewards - we praise them for a job well done and post their report cards on the fridge! If we have an "oops!" grade, we discuss how they can apply themselves to improving for next term (study strategies, etc.). Each quiz, etc. is always an opportunity for praise and encouragement.

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  4. Sticking to the original topic, we motivate our kids w/ praise. Sometimes we'll present award certificates for "most improved reading" or "mastering the 7s times table", etc. But most of all, we want their motivation to be internal, so we focus on teaching a love of learning. That's something you just can't get from out-schooling. Or at least you can't keep it alive. ;)
    I agree about homeschooling allowing kids to learn at their own pace. I can't imagine how my adoptees would have struggled and learned to hate school had we put them in a school building, govt or private. We learn their learning styles so intimately at home.

    ReplyDelete

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