The Nuances Of Home Schooling - How To Grade Your Child
The teacher in charge does the grading in homeschooling. Usually, the mother does this. In such a situation, it could get a little tricky as giving your own child grades can get a little difficult. There is no standard of reference against which could gauge your child’s performance. Usually, you are unaware of the average performance of other children too. Therefore, perhaps, it is best not to resort to the grading system that has been followed traditionally.
For grading a child who is undergoing homeschooling, it is best to assess whether the subject has been thoroughly understood by the child or not. It goes without saying that in case the child has not grasped a particular subject or topic, you need to go over it once again. This helps your child in two ways. First, there is confidence in the child that if he or she is not able to understand something, it will be taught again till he or she gets it. Furthermore, the child will know that once she or he masters a topic, full credit will be received for the hard work that has been put in. Getting full credit and reward for hard work is one of the best motivating factors for a child.
While assessing the abilities of your child, ensure that your emotions do not take over your rationale. You must remain solid against the tears and cries of your child in case he or she resists some subject or topic. If it becomes necessary to master a certain topic, you need to, not just as a parent, but also as a teacher, go through the topic time and again till the child has full grip over it. The child is likely to show belligerence or frustration while having to deal with tougher concepts. But the child is too young to comprehend the importance of these lessons, so it becomes your job to ensure that your child develops all the skills that are required for an all round growth.
If your state needs children to take yearly tests, it will become easier for you to gauge your child’s performance with respect to the other children. Even if has not been made compulsory, it is always recommended that yearly tests be taken in order to assess the child’s progress. These tests can help you see the undiscovered areas of weaknesses and strength. This can help you structure the curriculum so that you cover all the weak areas and build upon those that are strong.
If your state insists on a report card for children who are being homschooled, ensure that you have all the records of your child’s scores and yearly developments. Ensure that you make mention of issues such as discipline, punctuality etc in the report. Also, keep track of the number of days that are working days and all the attendance schedules.
Try to use a lot of external tests while grading the child. There are a number of websites that can help with different age groups and have the provision of free question papers. This method is one of the most cost efficient and effective methods of grading and assessing a child. Because a child is studying in order to satisfy natural curiosity, homeschooling can do wonders in boosting his or her self-confidence.
