Creating a self-motivating child (Pt 1)

One of my concerns upon entering into this whole homeschooling venture was encouraging self-reliance in my child. After years of being told what to do and when to do it, she wasn't self-motivating. She would do only what she was told, when she was told to do it. My fears were that homeschooling wasn't going to be any better in this arena. After all, I'm always here to make sure things get done.

But I won't be behind her with a big stick forever. Looking ahead, she'll never be successful in college, or anywhere else, if she can't motivate herself. With this in mind, I've been trying to use homeschool to prepare her for the day when she will have to light a fire under her own butt. I'm trying to make homeschool mirror college--at least in some ways.

I create a syllabus for the term, and define clear goals for what she'll need to have completed during that term. She has the assignments and the dates they're due. It is up to her to get those assignments done and turned in on time. I provide the lectures and the guidance. I answer questions. And slowly, I have backed away from reminding her to complete her work. It's a slow process--weaning her off depending on someone else for motivation--but the rewards are beginning to show.

(to be continued)