Teach Your Child, Not a Grade

EP238: This episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast was created to encourage you as a homeschooling parent to teach your child, not a grade.

For some homeschoolers, starting a new grade each fall is part of their yearly rhythm. For others, sometimes it's hard to even assign a grade to their child. 

Either way, your child's learning doesn't just happen magically in tidy grade-level packages. Rather, it happens along a path that sometimes spirals backwards or follows detours or even skips ahead.

When we teach the child in front of us rather than a grade level or curriculum package, we honor the child's learning journey. 

Children learn best when they can take confident steps on the path to learning while feeling a calm sense of connection.

The holistic, natural approach of Waldorf homeschooling truly shines in this way and supports each child's unique development.

Teaching your child, not a grade, is a subtle mindset shift that can make all the difference!

If you would like more guidance on bringing this kind of flexible, child-focused rhythm to your homeschool, come join me inside the Inspired at Home community where you'll find monthly masterclasses, coaching calls with me, and a warm community to remind you you're not alone on this journey and to help you customize whatever curriculum you have.

Join the Inspired at Home community https://artofhomeschooling.com/inspiredathome 

Find the Show Notes here  https://artofhomeschooling.com/episode238/

Chapters

• 0:55 Why teach your child, not a grade
• 1:59 Why there's no such thing as "behind" in homeschooling
• 2:49 When there's a mismatch between your child and a grade level curriculum
• 4:47 How children actually learn
• 5:50 How the Waldorf method honors the child's learning journey
• 6:56 Why Waldorf is considered a spiral curriculum
• 8:32 3 ways to teach your child, not a grade

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:09

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home. I'm your host, Jean Miller, and here on this podcast, you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family. Let's begin. Hello there and welcome to the Art of Homeschooling podcast. I'm Jean Miller and I'm so glad you're here. This space is for homeschoolers who want to bring more peace, confidence, and connection into their days. I created today's episode to encourage you to teach your child not a grade. Some homeschoolers start a new grade in September, others in January. And honestly, sometimes it's hard to even say what grade our child is even in at all. Because learning doesn't happen in tidy boxes labeled by grade level. I remember when my two oldest were homeschooling together and they're just 16 months apart in age. Okay. In some subjects, they were really close, like side by side, learning the same material. In other subjects, they were miles apart. One was a strong reader, but hesitant with math. The other loved numbers, but didn't want to sit still for writing in his main lesson book. And that's when I really began to understand what it means to teach a child, not a grade level. Because if you've ever worried that your child is quote unquote behind, secret, there's no such thing. But if you've ever worried that your child is behind or wondered if they're doing what other kids their age are doing, you are so not alone. Grades can feel like measuring sticks for success in a way, but they don't tell the whole story. Our kiddos are each unique. And one of the greatest gifts of homeschooling is that we get to teach them as they are, right here, right now, where they are. And that's what we're diving into today. How to let go of grade level expectations and tune into what your child really needs right now. Now, most homeschoolers start, where do we start? With curriculum. New homeschoolers always ask, which curriculum should I buy? You see that in Facebook groups online. I get that question all the time. And also, what grade level do I need? Seasoned homeschoolers often start their planning by consulting a purchased curriculum for a particular grade level to see what lessons to do when and even how to bring the lessons. But what happens when we get two or three or so weeks in and things aren't going well? What happens when the pace of the curriculum doesn't match our child? Or the content doesn't engage them? Or when the curriculum just isn't meeting our child right where they are. That's when it's time to pause, take a breath, and remember this simple truth. We are teaching a child, not a grade. Here is the real truth. Purchased curriculum is sold in grade level packages. And our children's skills, abilities, even interests don't always match up. For example, sometimes the curriculum is a little too advanced in math, but not challenging enough in writing, or doesn't even include writing exercises. But instead of worrying that our child is behind or something's gone wrong, we've done something wrong, I want you instead to recognize that this is where homeschooling really shines. We can personalize and customize curriculum to meet our children right where they are. We can adapt lessons, slow down, skip ahead, or start fresh. All based on our child, not a preset plan or arbitrary grade level. Here's a reminder: grade levels are just a framework. In mainstream schools, grade levels are a way to organize large groups of children. They're not necessarily based on how children learn best, and they're not geared to individualize the curriculum. But as homeschoolers, we don't have to be bound by that system. In fact, children learn in leaps and spirals, not in straight lines. I say this often: learning isn't linear. Your child might pick up reading easily, but need more practice in another subject like writing or math. And that's completely normal. Every child's learning journey is unique. And when we teach the child in front of us, we honor their unique rhythm, their unique development. We allow curiosity to guide us rather than comparison. Now, how do we bring the Waldorf perspective into this? In Waldorf education, we look at the whole child, head, heart, and hands, body, mind, and spirit. That means we're not just teaching academics. We're nurturing imagination, we're building confidence and a love of learning. We're starting by engaging their interest and bringing the lively arts to encourage even more engagement in the learning. We actually teach the content through the lively arts. So instead of asking, what should a third grader know? We can ask, what does my child need right now to grow and thrive? How can I help them make progress in this particular skill? Maybe they need more movement and verse recitation before diving into multiplication. Maybe they need more drawing experiences, form drawing exercises to help improve their handwriting. Or maybe they need more downtime or play time before adding something new. I want you to keep in mind that the Waldorf curriculum follows a spiral model of learning. That's right, it's a spiral curriculum. So we are regularly, we can skip ahead, we circle back to topics throughout our child's school years. And that allows for deeper understanding over time. When a new year or grade level or even main lesson block begins, you can just pick up where you left off and move forward from there in math and language arts skills. While the stories you bring, the stories you tell and read, they meet your child's soul development, no matter what level they're at with skills. A great example of this with the subject of math comes from Jamie York, a longtime Waldorf math instructor. Jamie talks about how learning math skills happen in three-year cycles. One year to introduce the concept, a second year to go deeper and practice, practice, practice, and a third year to master the concept. So that's over three grades. So long division might overlap with learning fractions, and fractions don't necessarily need to be completely mastered before introducing decimals. This approach of teaching your child rather than a grade invites a lot of trust, trust in the child's natural unfolding, and trust in ourselves as guides. So, how do we apply this in homeschooling? I want to give you three practical ways to shift from teaching a grade to teaching your child. Number one, observe before planning and throughout the lessons. So take time to notice what your child enjoys, what they struggle with, what they even gravitate toward. Those clues are golden. Number two, adapt your materials. Use your curriculum as a tool, not a rule book. And adjust the pace, simplify, skip, or supplement as needed. And number three, focus on connection. When we prioritize connection, the learning follows much more naturally. A child who feels seen and understood and safe is more open to learning and more able to take in new concepts. Remember, your homeschool doesn't have to look like anyone else's. Now, in closing, I want you to keep this in mind. Next time you're flipping through a curriculum guide or second guessing your plans, pause and whisper this reminder to yourself. I am teaching a child, not a grade. Let that be your compass because your homeschool can grow and change just like your child does. You're doing beautiful work, my friend. And if you would like more guidance on bringing this kind of flexible, child-centered rhythm to your homeschool, come join me inside the Inspired at Home community where you'll find monthly masterclasses, coaching calls with me, and a warm community to remind you you're not alone on this journey and to help you customize whatever curriculum you have. Until next time, take a deep breath, trust the process, and remember you are teaching a child, not a grade. That's all for today, my friend. But here's what I want you to remember rather than perfection, let's focus on connection. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast.