Friday, August 8, 2014 at 3:59PM
Hug Time and T.T.T. and Homeschooling
In the blog Watch Out for Gifted People the author describes the whiteboard she uses to organize the daily chores for herself and her two homeschooled boys. When one asks to use the computer, she points to the whiteboard and asks if he has completed his assignments. The whiteboard list reduces push-backs. Recently, the author added “Together - Hug Time.” What a great idea. We spend too much time together on our own devices, but we are really alone. We need to spend time just being together.
Homeschool teachers, Hug Time recognizes, supports, encourages and authenticates your homeschool student. As a 39 year teacher (31 in a public high school) having taught over 5,000 students, I could not give hugs that way, but I could recognize, support, encourage and authenticate my students. I used the poem T.T.T. and a piece of candy when I sensed a discouraged student who needed a “hug.” I had the poem on a small sheet of paper and would discreetly place the poem and candy on the student’s desk even as I taught the class. Here is the poem:
T. T. T.
Put up in a place
where it's easy to see
the cryptic admonishment
T. T. T.
When you feel how depressingly
slowly you climb,
it's well to remember that
Things Take Time!
I also wrote back a kind of discussion on weekly themes sometimes even several paragraphs. By the way any theme grade C or lower could be rewritten for a B. I also encouraged and supported class discussion. To get thoughts from shy students into the discussion, I had students write a response with no names on a piece of paper, collected them, and read them into the class discussion. Some of my best classes were when I stood in the back of the room and the students talked. When students made remarkable and insightful comments, I immediately wrote them down with their name, the date, the time and the class. I transferred that information to a large sheet of paper and posted it on the classroom wall. That “Hug” gave that student and the class a boast. Homeschool teachers, think of your own ways you can give your student “Hugs.” How do adults do it in companies? Certificates, plaques, trophies, prizes, privileges, responsibilities, rewards, better working conditions, catch success, random acts of kindness, applause, time off, social gatherings, pizza/popcorn/cookie days, gags and gimmicks and even cash motivate employees.
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