College Planning: Motivation
By Mimi Rothschild
Education is not just about the collection and repetition of knowledge and facts. Education is a process of self-discovery and growth. While this is true in any situation, it is especially so with students in a home school setting. Material studied through a home school program becomes far more meaningful if one has an aim in mind, or at least a general idea of what they like and what they might like to do in that field some day. This is a proactive process. A magic fairy will never descend into the home school, into any school, and sprinkle motivation dust all around. For a student in a home school environment, self-motivation is key, and must extend beyond the sphere of study to the sphere of possibility. In short, motivation is a process of discovery: a journey that every home school student should undertake. The more one knows about themselves now, the easier it is to prioritize and plan.
So now the question coming from the home school parent is: where to begin? It is generally recommended that the question of motivation be dealt with directly. It is not an easy question, and it is one people are prone to avoid, home school educated or not. The first and best thing is to take note of your interests. What do you like to study/do? This need not be limited to home school activities, and should include hobbies and interests. Sometimes counseling, tests, and self-evaluations are helpful at this early stage of determination.
With possibilities noted, make a systematic effort to find as much information about what sort of occupations surround your interests. Of course, how things look from the home school and how they work in ‘real' life are not always the same. Talk to people working in those fields which interest you most. See what it's ‘really' like. Once this is done and you've refined your notes, make it a home school study priority to gather information about credentialing and training requirements for occupations that interest you. The more you know ahead of time the better you can equip and prepare yourself, i.e. the best universities to attend, the best summer internships and jobs. In other words, all this information should help inform decisions related to life after home school.
Finally, while still in the process of completing a home school education, be attentive to any personal problems that might arise. The fact is we all are prone to unproductive behaviors, procrastination, irrational guilt, acute anxiety, obsessiveness, or low self-esteem. These need not be lived with in the home school or anywhere else. Seek help for overcoming these personal obstacles, for they can and do hold one back from aspirations if left unaddressed. Part of assessing one's motivation is self-worth: acknowledging not only what you want, but that you are both capable and worthy of doing it.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.
Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation's public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.
An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.Electronic reproduction of this article is permitted if content is published unchanged, appropriate credit is given, and the article title links to corresponding article webpage.
