If you asked a homeschool parent about important things to teach your children, courage might not make the list.  But being an observer of daily courage is the largest risk you take in removing your child from the social setting of school.  The courage to stand apart, the courage to identify and become your own unique self, the courage to always attempt to establish and act on the ‘right thing’- these are all ways that your child is growing on a daily basis.

Courage gets observed every day in the classroom. From the student who stands up to the bully, to the student who chooses not to cheat, even to the student who roots for another football team rather than the prevailing local sports teams- all of these can be examples of courage in the classroom that others can use as inspiration.  Yes, there are also signs of the lack of courage- children who use technology for their own purposes, students who are dishonest with teachers, students who shy away from embracing their favorite sports team- but the choices they make are all tied up in accepting courage as a condition of growing up.  As a homeschool parent, you have already acted on the belief that you want your child to get more than is available in traditional school settings.  Homeschool children must learn to be courageous at home without the direction- right or wrong- of their peers.

Parents who homeschool can work on this in a number of ways. Read Aloud books are full of people who have demonstrated how to move ahead courageously.  The story of Steve Jobs can be an entertaining read about a man who became rich and successful or it can be a story about a man who struggled against the societal naysayers of his time.  Both stories work, but the second story alone leads to a compelling discussion about courage.  At some level, all great literature deals with a human counterpoint of courage versus cowardice.

Parents can demonstrate to their child that Success Traits are not just for children.  Talk to your child about the courage you showed in withdrawing your child from school, the obstacles you faced along the way, and the ways you courageously surmounted these obstacles.  Do not be afraid to tell your story in the highest terms of courage.  Children need to understand that courage (and other Success Traits) are not childhood issues alone- that courage is a topic we face over a lifetime of actions and choices.

At the schools in which I worked, we encouraged all of our parents to have Success Trait conversations at dinner each night (see the book, Traits for Success: The Case for Character Education in American Schools).  This is no different with the homeschool parent.  Many of the activities recommended for teachers can be easily adapted to the homeschool environment.

Instruction in courage is less about defining weekly lessons than developing an eye for daily connections to viewing the world through the lens of courage.  Imagine the dinner conversation that took place the evening after Emily woke up to her father announcing that “Today was courage day”.  Emily’s father made it clear that he was going to look for courage at work and act with courage in ways that he had never considered before.  He challenged Emily to do the same at school and that evening they each shared their observations about courage.  This is the greatest joy of teaching, and what you were hoping for when you withdrew your child from school: to be able to engage your child with their growing view of the world; to address head on the true challenges of their childhood.

As a parent, you get to choose whether your stories are full of courage or its opposite, cowardice.  Both courage and cowardice can make good stories- we all have both potentials inside of us.  The same story can begin with courage or can begin with cowardice.  The way you frame it is critical!

Parents should review Traits for Success: The Case for Character Education in American Schools for other ideas about teaching courage throughout the year.

#charactereducation #successtraits #parentingtips #homeschooling #teachertips

John Zurn began his educational career teaching fourth graders and other aged children in K through 8th grade independent school settings.   He went on to serve as Head of School for three independent schools over a 28 year period.  John has written a book on a comprehensive school-wide character education program, “Traits for Success”.  He is currently working on a book directed towards teaching “Traits for Success” to students in grades 4 through 8.