Miss Blessing (the full article)

When I first began home schooling, I thought a lot about my goals for my children and how that would affect how I educated them. My educational goal for them is to develop a love of learning. Goals affect strategy. I hope to develop a love of learning in my children by making learning fun. I go out of my way to avoid burnout in myself and my kids. But then, this is just my short-term goal.
My long-term goal for my kids is that they grow up to become godly mothers and fathers. Notice I did not say “successful businessmen and career women.” This goal has a tremendous impact on my teaching strategies. One of the key ways I prepare my children to be loving mothers and fathers in the future is teaching them selflessness.
My kids have one job. Of course, they do chores each day, and I definitely expect them to be active participants in their schooling. But they only have one very important job: to be a blessing to their siblings. When they are arguing or bickering, I ask them: Are you doing your job? This simple question is quite powerful in bringing about quick conviction.
I look for ways they can learn to serve. I frequently whisper in one’s ear: “Would you be a blessing and refill your brother’s cup?” or “Would you be a blessing and help your sister put away her clothes?” When I do catch one of them in service, I rave! “Look everyone! Isaac saw that none of us had drinks with dinner and he filled all our glasses!” Then we all say in unison: “Thank you, Mr. Blessing!” Of course, Isaac loves this attention and praise and he will look for ways to be Mr. Blessing again the next day.
When I see one of my kids do something kind, I pull them aside and tell them: “You are being such a servant. I’m so proud of how loving you are becoming.” I want my children to value servanthood, so I am deliberate in weaving this into everything we do.
Sometimes I lose my focus in my endless determination to check everything off my home school to-do list. However, when I remember my ultimate goal to raise loving mommies and daddies, my days go more smoothly and I have a sense of accomplishment regardless how many new facts we have learned. There is a saying that a dying man never says, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” I believe when home school parents die, they won’t say, “I wish I’d had my kids read one more book.” The love of knowledge is a God-given gift, but character development is more pleasing to Him.