Playing Hooky From Any Homeschool Curriculum

by Tanya
(Scottsmoor, FL)

"Mom's pulling out the homeschool curriculum again!"

Got kids who disappear when you bring out the homeschool curriculum? Find out why this young girl will never think of playing homeschool hooky again! :)

Looking back on the our experience, I laugh just as I did the day it happened.

My daughter was dodging me all morning and part of the afternoon. Peeking around the corners of the room, seeing if it was safe to enter. Slipping into a different room as Mommy started entering a room that she was in. At first I wondered what surprise she was cooking up, until it went on much too long.

You got to give it to a homeschooled child that decides to play hooky from school.

I gave her a "A" for creativity and courage. Let's face it playing hooky from homeschool is not like choosing not going to a public school classroom and instead walking to the local restaurant. I thought such creativity and courage, also demanded an equally as daring consequence.

For two weeks the child did not receive or participate in anything dear to her. No television, no favorite toys, no fun games. For two weeks she endured overcoming boredom by requesting chores to do (dusting chairs, washing walls, folding towels, etc) and by doing school work (any school subject she chose after school for the day, was complete).

Can you say a lesson well learned? When she was nine, her five year old sibling thought it might be cute to skip school and told me so. I suggested that she might want to discuss it with her older sister first. Case closed. No more playing hooky from school in our house.

I have found that if it is important enough to be a rule for our school, it is important enough to be enforced the first time it is broken. It prevents months of broken rules and consequences, making for a much better learning experience for the child and for the teacher. Consistency, allows for a smooth sailing after you get through the first couple wakes.

Cute story, Tanya! Thanks for sharing. Hopefully the five year old learned from her older sister - makes life so much easier, doesn't it? :) Blessings, Heather