How To Teach Character Education in Your Homeschool Without A Curriculum (Part 1) – Lay the Foundation
“Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of education.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Giving Back
September 22 is a day of generosity in Texas. Giving Day is an opportunity for members of the North Texas community to support local nonprofits of their choice via online giving.
In honor of this day of philanthropy, It’s Only Homeschooling is helping spread the word about this annual tradition of generosity.
Giving Day is also an opportunity to explore the importance of teaching good character in our homeschool.
What Is Character?
Vivian from Rocket Kids makes it easy:
Laying the Foundation
Before I was a homeschool mom, I was a counselor. And before that? A daughter. My parents sowed the seeds of stewardship in their children by modeling generosity and kindness. Lessons in faith I was determined to pass along to my son.
Long before my husband and I chose curriculum, joined co-ops, or signed up for extracurricular activities, we made a conscious effort to foster this same spirit of generosity in our son. Beginning with bedtime stories, we planted little seeds of empathy, compassion, and altruism. As our son grew, we included him in our activities by enlisting his help in culling his gently used toys and clothes for donation. As he got older, we increased his involvement and responsibility by branching out into canned food drives, adopting “angels” from angel trees at our church around the holidays, and contributing to Toys for Tots to name a few.
Life Lessons Beyond the Books
Once we made the decision to homeschool, we began by researching standards and requirements for our home state of Texas, In addition to core courses of reading, math, spelling, and grammar, a course in good citizenship is also required.
Both my husband and I are the products of public school. While familiar with the character education programs implemented in state-run schools, when exploring how to teach “good citizenship” in our homeschool, we decided we wanted to go a bit deeper.
The beauty of homeschooling is you have the freedom to make it fit your needs. And that’s just what we did.
We researched tons of different character education curriculums (and even tried a few), but in the end, we realized that lessons such as these cannot simply be reduced to objectives, lesson plans, or workbook exercises.
A Worldview, Not a Subject
For us, being a good citizen meant you have a clear set of guidelines for ethical reasoning and decision-making. You have a moral compass and you use it.
How does one develop a moral compass in one’s children?
With three essential components: personal connection, theological foundation, and parental authority.
Minus these three and even the best curriculums will fall short of success.
We realized we had already been teaching our son “how” to be a good citizen since the day he was born. The teaching of morals and values is a daily life lesson that is nurtured by (and in turn nurtures) the parent-child relationship.
As parents, we are living examples of our value system. We model character to our children from the first moment they enter this world. The struggles we experience when faced with decisions that call our convictions into question (and more importantly how we overcome said struggles) provide powerful lasting lessons. Through this dance of one step forward and two steps back, we impart to our children what it means to be truly “human.”
Beyond the books, my husband and I felt to adequately teach character, our homeschool must also embody a servant’s heart. Stewardship is central not only to our Christian faith but also to good citizenship. As the entrusted keepers of all God’s Creation including His earth, His creatures, and most importantly His people, it is our duty to sow the seeds of stewardship not only in our son but also for the next generation.
Salt & Light Spotlight
As Believers, we are commanded to be “salt and light.” We are to season out words, thoughts, and deeds in a manner that will make others thirst for the knowledge of our Savior. We also bear testimony to Christ, the ultimate Light of the World, by shining in honor of our Redeemer (Philippians 2:15) and fulfilling his Great Commission.
As part of our efforts to model stewardship in our homeschool, it is our honor to shine a light on and spread the good news about the good deeds of some amazing community outreach organizations, both local to the DFW area and across the globe.
Each month in our “Salt & Light Spotlight,” we feature a different community outreach program. Our hope is to bring awareness to these organizations and encourage support. Blog posts feature on the first Friday of every month. Podcast episodes will feature once a month.
Sowing the Seeds of Stewardship: Cultivating A Servant’s Heart
While neither part of a formal curriculum nor found in any workbook, my sincerest hope is our “Salt & Light” Project will ignite a spark for my son to have a servant’s heart. By sharing our experience with others, I hope to further fan the flames of philanthropy.
Service does not have to look like the grand gestures you will see us highlight in our Salt & Light Spotlight series. Outreach can come in many forms. The smallest gesture of kindness can carry the greatest weight.
On this annual North Texas Giving Day (and every other day), we hope to inspire you to share the gifts God has given you with others.
Sow the seeds of stewardship in your homeschool and reap the rewards for years to come.
Coming Up
In Part 2 of our “How to Teach Character Education in Your Homeschool Without a Curriculum” series, we share with you some great reads and demonstrate the steps we use to foster good citizenship in our homeschool. Learn about how we use YouTube Schooling as a Teaching Tool. Discover ways to involve your child in extracurricular activities that promote good character. Learn how to document your homeschool efforts to ensure compliance with your state’s homeschool laws.
Join Us!
Want to know more about how to incorporate service in your homeschool and support some great outreach organizations in the process? Check back in with us on the first Friday of every month for our dedicated blog post, the “Salt & Light Spotlight.”
New podcast episodes will air on Podbean, YouTube, and our website on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month.
It’s Only Homeschooling | a podcast by Kimberly (podbean.com)
Until we meet again, remember education is a journey, not a destination. Relax, it’s only homeschooling.
Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
Service is such an important thing to teach our kids! I totally agree that we need to model the behavior that we want to see in our kids – more is caught than taught!