I’m still learning, you know. At 80, I feel there is a lot I don’t know… Lena Horne
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Our national treasure Lena Horne has passed, let your homeschoolers hear her legendary voice, read her story, see her style…our children are our treasures and should know how valuable they are to us.
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Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
Malcolm Forbes
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Internet homeschooling parent’s most awesome challenge is shaping the day-to-day behaviors of our homeschooled children, helping them to maneuver through a goal-oriented world. The good news is training highschool homeschooled students to complete their goal setting efforts may be easier than previously imagined. By guiding African American homeschooled students through meditating on and repeating motivational and inspirational quotes, they will be better equipped to change their thought patterns, behaviors and in turn, change their lives. As an Internet homeschooling parent, the question should be – do I train up a child in the way they should go? There are a lot of highschool homeschooling parent’s hands in the air, so the answer must be a resounding – YES!
Here’s how it’s done.
If our internet homeschooled children believe something to be easy, like the goal of getting to school on time (never ceases to amaze me how children get up at 10 ’til 8 and brush their teeth, wash their face, change clothes and eat breakfast in less than 10 minutes), they may find a few hurdles in accomplishing it. However, if our highschool homeschooled children imagine something to be difficult to accomplish, like the goal of finishing their math homework before their favorite television show comes on, then their struggle becomes more apparent. In fact, if any internet homeschooled students imagine that it is difficult to change a specific behavior or achieve a goal, then they will always find the hurdles that will justify that belief.
Let’s step back for a minute, should highschool homeschooled children be taught how to navigate a goal-oriented life? Would tools for goal setting give internet homeschooled students an advantage or disadvantage? These answers can be found in next month’s articles…
Now, moving forward let’s take this for example. One of our homeschoolers wakes up one morning and decides that:
“This is the day I start learning how to play online chess and prepare for the local homeschoolers spelling bee. When things get difficult, I will not keep delaying the goals set to learn chess strategies or increase my vocabulary, but instead I will concentrate on something else to keep my mind focused. It’ll be tough at first, but I’m going to give it a try.”
If children continue with these thought patterns and beliefs, they shouldn’t be surprised to find themselves struggling more often than not. Why?
As they say – the proof is in the pudding, where we find a couple of thought patterns and beliefs already in place to block goal setting success. An internet homeschooler has determined to do something good for themselves, which changes into a disservice for themselves by choosing certain negative thought patterns, beliefs and the words that go along with it.
The plan has been laid out and says,
“When things get difficult….”
(This is already assuming that there will be difficult moments! Goal setting stumbling block number one!)
“It’ll be tough at first…”
(This is already assuming it will be difficult at first! Goal setting stumbling block number two!)
“…but I’m going to give it a try.”
(Remember the movie “Star Wars”…” “Do or do not… there is no try.” – Yoda. Goal setting stumbling block number three!)
Now there are thousands of ways for goal setting and achieving goals for any homeschool project. Some, if not all of them, may work for various students at various stages of their goal setting journey. But for many homeschooled African American students who have convinced themselves that achieving a goal is difficult, some options for goal setting may fall short when our thought patterns – homeschooling parents may call them habits – are stronger than our desire to change.
Here is something that can be done to change a behavior(habit) that is no longer desired.
First, any homeschooling student must realize that changing our habits to a new way of thinking about goal setting will replace old thought patterns no longer working for them. Our thoughts are like little tiny pictures projected into our minds of how goal setting was supposed to accomplish small things. If any homeschooled African American students no longer wants these pictures or thought patterns to be a part of their life, then a conscious decision to change thought patterns and beliefs that would be easier to think about towards a positive outlook must be enforced.
For example: choose this thought,
“Goal setting is easier than I thought.”
It may sound a little weak, and may not be ideal for everyone – but sometimes taking baby steps is better when it comes to digging deeper.
Secondly, chose a word that is related to focus on positive thoughts for each day, week or month to help in accomplishing any goal (Start with just a day, or just an hour for that matter. Keep it simple.) The word my African American homeschooling students chose needed to be in relation to the change needed to be made. For example, they chose the word “BELIEVE”, accepting my suggestion of what they needed to think about most of time; focusing more on their beliefs towards goal setting. Choose any word as long as it relates to your situation. (Focus, Energy, Action, Believe…)
Following that, we scoured the Internet for motivational and inspirational quotes that resonated with them that related to the specific word chosen. Quotes that could be easily remembered, especially ones that really spoke to what needed to be accomplished.
But here’s the most important part.
What most internet homeschooling students need are quotes that are powerful enough to change thought patterns the moment they are read aloud. Quotes that REALLY digg deeper whenever their eyes fall upon them. Quotes that force anyone to pause and think for a moment. Quotes that have that extra “edge” to make the mind say, “Yes. This is one.”
These are all signs of a quote that can hold power for homeschooled African American students. Try changing your “beliefs” by using the following quotes.
“I don’t know who my grandfather was; I’m much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.” Abraham Lincoln
“Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing.” William Arthur Ward
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” Confucius
In fact, there are hundreds of quotes that can be resorted to from time to time, but these three should grab the attention. They spoke of who each homeschooler was, what homeschooler wanted to accomplish and who each homeschooler wanted to become as they worked towards their goals.
Now write them down, carry these quotes with you constantly. Read them and meditate on them whenever there is an opportunity to. At school, play or on the occasional ride with your parents, focus on these three powerful quotes to help change your “BELIEFS” towards what you want to accomplish.
After changing their thought patterns, over time, they will be able to see their beliefs changed for the better towards any outlook on life. The secret is to admit that accomplishing goals involves more than just thinking, but it all begins with your thoughts. The thoughts then trickle down into your actions, as they continue to face other hurdles on a daily basis in goal setting, and a whole new set of thought patterns begins.
Here are the three steps again:
1. Decide to change your way of thinking about a behavior, making it easier for you to think about it. Phrase it in a simple way.
2. Choose a word to focus on to change that behavior for a period of time.
3. Find a minimum of three motivational or inspirational quotes related to that specific word that are powerful enough to change your current thought patterns the moment you read them. Meditate on them and repeat them, silently or out loud, every chance you get – remember, digg deeper.
Be patient. Stick with it. Give it some time – again, digg deeper.
Why do you think video game companies offer a 30-day money back guarantee? They know that if you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit and you no longer need to return it! (Learned something, huh?) Give it time.
The first step internet homeschooling students want to accomplish is to change their minds and the thought patterns and beliefs associated with a particular negative behavior. Thoughts are the precursor to action, meaning that thoughts occur before any action takes place. That’s what needs to be changed first. Your thoughts.
It worked for my homeschoolers and I hope this inspires and motivates others to achieve their goals and improve their goal setting efforts.
Just do it.
Children enjoy the present because they have neither a past nor a future. Jean de la Bruyere
Internet homeschooled students enjoy the present and the opportunities available to them because they live in the now. They should be encouraged to prepare themselves for any event, absorb as much knowledge as they can and strive to excel.
As internet homeschooled students are encouraged on a daily basis, they will get in the habit of engaging and encouraging others…then how would our world change for the better?
No that is not a misspelling, today is the anniversary of the Wright brothers first flight, a foundation in education that has changed history and moved mankind from the ground into the stars…
As internet homeschooling parents we are encouraged by their example of the potential our children have when given a foundation in education that reaches for the stars.
Given the wright tools, our children can at least have the opportunity to change their history or leave a mark on world history…they are worthy.
Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes
The responsibility of a writer is to excavate the experience of the people who produced him. James Baldwin
All children should be given the foundation skills of being a good writer, for they would then be able to communicate their purpose, and keep their focus on accomplishing that purpose as goal setting youth. High school home schooling curriculums are geared toward good writing skills, and because of this we as parents need to provide a well-rounded educational experience.
Once we have guided our children into creative writers, what about their educational experience should they publish. That we learned about Thurgood Marshal in ethics class, Samuel Clemens in creative writing, Van Gogh in art class, Abaccus in math class? The educational experience of a lifetime is available through internet home schooling curriculums for our children, making sure they become natural goal setting youth.
Let them excavate a creative and profound experience when they begin to write…
Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes
Freelance Homeschoolers Writing from Daviyd's Perspective... 