What About Educational Gaps?
Every so often, we’ll give you a peek into Brave Learner Home, our supportive online community. Today’s post features an encouraging message by Dawn Smith (President of Brave Writer) that she recently shared.
Many homeschoolers worry that they aren’t doing enough and that their child will have gaps when they graduate. Rest assured, everyone has gaps. Yes, schooled kids, too.
If a student changes schools, experiences a long illness, has a weak teacher, or attends a specialized school that emphasizes technology over the arts, they will have gaps. And beyond that, there are lifetimes upon lifetimes of human knowledge out there (history, science, literature, philosophy) that make learning a lifelong, perpetually unfinished pursuit. We are all continuously “filling in gaps!”
As long as your child is making progress and you have been diligent about tracking that progress and paying attention to their development, you’re doing enough. When it comes to the high school years, having a good sense of what they need, and yes, that can include checklists, is important. As parents, it’s our job to work with our teens to help open as many doors as possible after homeschooling is finished.
As many of you approach the end of the year and look back on what this school year has held for you and your kids, I encourage you to spend time reflecting on growth and development, not just on pinpointing shortcomings. When you find something that you think indicates a “gap,” you can use it to help plan for next year, but remember, you’ll never fill all the gaps.
It’s a lifelong process. And we want to nurture lifelong learners.
