Are you having your child work toward the suggested level of independence in Heart of Dakota?

Are you working toward the suggested level of independence noted for each box in the daily plans?

From Preparing Hearts for His Glory on up through U.S. History II, guides have codes in each box of daily plans labeled ‘I,’ ‘S,’ or ‘T.’ This helpful code guides you in the level of independence you can expect from your child for that box of plans. The plans coincide with the level of independence expected. The labels of I = Independent, S = Semi-Independent, and T = Teacher Directed help students know expectations too.

Understanding the code will save you time, as gradual independence equals successful independence.

If you are thinking that the ‘I’ boxes mean that the child has total independence and you have no role in the box, you have misunderstood the code. ‘I’ means the child can complete the box “Independently,” but parents still need to check independent work. So, I always go over all of the ‘I’ boxes with my child. I discus what is in the box and check any work done independently. This is a similar situation to when a classroom teacher assigns homework to be done independently at home. Children quickly quit doing homework well, or quit doing it at all, if teachers do not correct it!

Following the code will save you time!

If you are having your child do the ‘S’ (Semi-Independent) or the ‘T’ (Teacher-Directed) boxes without you, you will likely find that it adds time to your day. Why, you may ask? Well, ‘S’ and ‘T’ boxes expect that the teacher helps or guides the student. Assigning the student to do these boxes on his/her own often results in problems during work time or mistakes that aren’t caught until later and need to be fixed. ‘S’ and ‘T’ boxes require more parent help because they are harder. Independence is not the goal in these boxes. I compensate for this by sticking close to my kiddos during ‘S’ boxes, popping in at the beginning or middle to check progress. For the ‘T’ boxes, I am always present, as many of these boxes are discussion based.

Check to see that you are following the code.

You may want to check the way you are handling each box in your Heart of Dakota guide. Doing this will help you be more effective overall. The ‘S’, ‘T’, and ‘I’ codes are a good guideline for me on how to handle each box. Hopefully they will be for you too! Try following the code, and see if the flow of independence and teacher involvement helps your day run more smoothly.

Blessings,
Carrie