How do you motivate a reluctant homeschooler?

Hey Homeschoolers! I am working on making a resource for new homeschoolers where they ask the questions and veteran homeschoolers give the answers. My goal is to provide advice, resources, and most of all to show that there is more than one way of doing things. Please contact me with your answer to the following question. I have already included answers that folks sent me on Facebook. Please let me know if you do not want me to include your name in the posting. Please give as much info as possible including links, details, explanations, etc... I will add your answers to this page so that new homeschoolers will have a resource to refer back to again and again.
You can contact me at everestacademy1@gmail.com with your questions and answers. Please put "Blog Challenge" in the subject line. 

Thanks!
Deb Spradlin

Everest Academy Administrator

Question: What are different ways that moms handle a child who is being very negative about school and being very slow about getting it done or trying to get out of work? How do you encourage a child who fights instruction from mom because mom is who she is mostly around? And how can mom keep from getting sucked in to that negativity to bring it around to a positive, productive time and not take it personally?

Answers:
Child 1 was easy and preferred for me to let her choose what she studied and she would work on it continuously in her room on her own. No arguments she just loved studying. Child 2, boy, totally different story! I have learned to adapt to what he is feeling more than me demanding him to do it or be grounded. Unschooling style with a twist of traditional subjects. This has saved me a lot of arguing and tears and me feeling like a failure.

Another way is to try and give the child more choice in his education. Even if it's something simple like getting to choose between markers and a pencil for spelling. Or doing math on a white board, a mirror, or with sidewalk chalk.

There are certain things I make my youngest (11) do, like math, because it is necessary. But with her I really take a more unschooling approach. I let her do what she's interested in. The more I try to stick with a curriculum, the more she fights it. If she's not going back to "regular" school I don't see why she has to learn certain things at certain times. If she's truly not interested I no longer fight that battle. I've noticed over the past year how she says no, then "matures" towards a subject. I firmly believe it will all come in time. She's also a bit ADD so we do our school in bits and snatches...again, better outcome with less bickering. Took two years to figure this out, after many, many fights and "I hate you" conversations.

Finding a secondary accountability source is a good one. The local library is giving out prizes for reading 20 minutes a day this summer, for instance. That helps. You can also have a grandparent, aunt, etc. As a secondary source.

Place responsibility on child for work..not done homework. .or weekend work.. give schedule what must be accomplished for the week..stand firm..find another person to be accountable to..