We imagine sometimes that learning is simply a matter of willpower. Although our determination can be enough to propel us forward towards greater understanding, physiological, emotional, and mental factors can often play a factor in our ability to learn. Whether you have children in your co-op/homeschooling group, or your own who have encountered difficult things in their lives, it is important to take these factors into account when teaching. I recall teaching in low socioeconomic areas where children weren’t guaranteed a meal over the weekend, and where children slept at school in both class and during recess due to difficult home lives. I found that there were a lot of factors that made it difficult for the children to focus and thrive at school. Maybe you teach children who have fewer outside difficulties, but still struggle with ADHD or autism, and find it difficult to pay attention. These children all need more than simply encouragement to learn.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN LEARNING:
Having basic needs met is a prerequisite for learning. Although there are some children who become highly successful in very difficult home situations, homeless situations, environmental or societal situations, etc., they are the exception not the norm. When faced with highly stressful situations, the brain often reverts to an emotional brain that is obsessed with heightened awareness and a need to react as soon as anything detrimental appears to come close or happens. We wonder why children shut down, become nonverbal, or begin throwing chairs or pencils across the room. This is absurd behavior and seems unwarranted at any point. The children who are screaming and hitting others often find themselves reflecting with a counselor and feeling unhappy that other students seem distant and that making friends seems so impossible. Sometimes they have the awareness to note that they do not like their own behavior, but seem stumped as to how to refrain from such outbursts. Clearly, most teachers feel ill-equipped to deal with such unusual behavior. You may never have experienced this kind of situation before in your own classroom at a co-op/homeschooling group or in your own home, but knowing what creates an optimal learning environment can be helpful to all students and teachers alike.
PREDICTABILITY AND STABILITY IN LEARNING:
Knowing what to expect is reassuring to the child in your classroom. Whether your child is just an ordinary slightly fidgety kid or one who was adopted from an orphanage and malnourished for the first few years of life, predictability and stability is key. Children thrive on structure and consistent expectations and consequences. Seek to make decisions ahead of time as to how you will manage your classroom whether at home with your own kids or in a co-op/homeschooling group. Having consistent routines for when to accomplish schoolwork, and even knowing what to wear while doing school can have an impact on their mindset and ability to focus. When your child knows what you expect workwise in respect to the quality of their work, attention to directions, and work ethic, they will be able to meet your expectations far more often than if none of these expectations are in place. Seek to give them tasks that are slightly above their level of proficiency, but not frustratingly difficult. When routines and structure are in place, there is less room for resistance and complaining. Likewise, if your child refuses to work, set in place clear consequences that follow for failing to comply. Children vary greatly in the effectiveness of the consequences and what is motivating to them. You know better than anyone what will motivate your son or daughter to follow through with their responsibilities rather than disobey. Attempt to follow through with consequences rather than simply threatening to give them a consequence. Also, seek to instill intrinsic motivation rather than rewards. It would be terrible to know years down the road that they will only work for you if there is a reward of playing video games, and at that point they will be too old to care if that reward is in place because they will just do it anyways. If you teach a co-op/homeschool group seek to find consequences that can apply to all of the students and that seem fair. Perhaps you give them a warning and then if you have to address the same issue, remove “recess” or “break” minutes (one minute per infraction). Seek to still give them time to run around or get some exercise as this is important for their brain. Nevertheless, clear expectations and routines are essential for maintaining obedience. Another important factor is making sure that students in your homeschooling group understand that you care about their well-being and their success. This should be obvious to you as a parent, but sometimes it is good to recall the reason for homeschooling your own child, and helping them to see how you impose schoolwork on them for their own benefit rather than as a punishment.
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD IN LEARNING:
Imagine for a moment sitting at work or at school and listening to your stomach growl. Although I can go without a few meals here and there, I often find myself getting grouchy or hangry if I have forgone a meal for far too long. I once tried a very restrictive diet to try to get rid of allergies, and found that I was lacking in nutrients to the point that I became weak and had difficulty thinking. I only wonder how children can manage when they are growing and having to learn so much without meals or snacks to propel them forward. Although in low socioeconomic schools they often provide free or reduced lunch (and sometimes breakfast) the quality of food in some schools that I have worked in are almost worse than fasting (unless you literally have no opportunity to get food). Children get highly processed foods with seed oils that wreak havoc on their brains and cause oxidative stress. The foods are covered in high fructose corn syrup which is also detrimental to their bodies, and food dye is often incorporated into it, as well. We are essentially what we eat, and if our cells and our bodies are crying out for nourishment, and we give them toxins, we are sick and walking through a brain fog at a minimum. As a teacher, sometimes we wonder why children aren’t like we heard they were 50 years ago. We wonder why children have so much difficulty putting forth effort and why we seem to have to figuratively push or pull them towards education and learning with such a degree of force, that we wonder if they will ever develop a love for learning and a desire to do well. It’s no wonder that they struggle when faced with malnutrition. Although we may not have the opportunity to impart change for a large group of children stuck in this vicious cycle, I propose we start small with those we can help. Providing our own children and a few children around us with nutritious snacks like fresh fruits and vegetables will put them at an advantage when trying to learn. Children are growing like weeds and having to learn so much that they utilize exorbitant amounts of energy when learning. Remember to feed them good and nutritious snacks, whenever possible. Instead of opting for most packaged chips, cookies, and crackers that are cooked in highly toxic oils, suggest they eat strawberries and freshly whipped cream or homemade pickles.
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