A Successful Educational Choice Means Getting Uncomfortable
Most human beings cling to comfort, though science has proven that when you step outside of your comfort zone, that is where the most significant achievement takes place. If it weren’t for taking uncertain steps out into a scary world, we would still be living in caves and throwing rocks at dinosaurs, waiting around for someone to discover fire. Thomas Alva Edison would never have given us the light bulb, and we probably wouldn’t know that bacon goes great with everything.
Thinking about homeschooling can be scary.
Most people just stay right where they are, because they are frightened by the possibility of failure, isolation or rocking the boat. Since they have been schooled and that is how they know education works, they make the justification that they shouldn’t tempt fate, do something different, disbelieve in their instinct that their child is not ready for the rat race of school. So that person sticks with their current choice even though they are not convinced it is the right choice and years later wondering “what could have been prevented.”
If You Never Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone, How Do You Know What You Are Truly Capable Of, or What Your Child Can Achieve?
Sports records fall every day because athletes keep pushing themselves. They are not happy with their current level of achievement. They want to know how good they can be, so they train and work very hard. They push themselves out of their comfort zone, their regular training regimen. They lift heavier weights, work out longer, and run faster. The result of becoming uncomfortable, training as they have never trained before, is new personal bests and sometimes world records.
This is because of something known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Dodson and Yerkes were a couple of psychologists who, in the earliest years of the 20th century, discovered that stress leads to achievement. What they found was that significant achievement did not happen until a person (who willingly) took small steps outside of the environment, surroundings, and behaviors where he felt most comfortable.
Please understand that this is for Adults making a choice for their vulnerable humans who they are raising.
I say this because I have heard people use the excuse to send a vulnerable child into the school system when they were clearly not ready, as resilience building and to “harden them up” and now that child has trauma markings into adulthood.
If this is you or someone close to you please reach out. Help is available. Think Clear Machine has been invaluable to my family. Use “TLCAnn” when ordering to receive a free gift.
Small Steps Lead to Big Change
They noted that when someone was put in an entirely uncomfortable, stressful environment, performance was challenging and confusing. However, taking small steps outside of a person’s comfort zone slowly began to expand the area where that person was happy and comfortable. Over time, it becomes easier and easier to take on new tasks and expose yourself to unfamiliar experiences.
If you are physically or mentally troubled by putting your child into the school system, maybe you should try home schooling.
Don’t take a giant leap, take a baby step instead.
At least learn about your local home educating community, find out how to register.
Did you know that most states in Australia only require you to register to home school the year your child turns 6?
Rather than immediately enrolling them into the local school at 4.5, or 5yo. Keep them home.
Link into the local community of experienced home educators or at least do a search on the web for support and resources.
Maybe you can sign up for classes, or join a social support group.
These small steps outside of your comfort zone will eventually give you the confidence to move onto an entirely different choice for your children, especially when they are young and rely on you to make the most informed choice.
Annmarie