Homeschooling the determined child

This is a post in a series of 31 Days of Minimalist Homeschooling. See the intro post with all the topics here. 

A few days ago I introduced the idea of how a child’s personality type affects their learning. I shared some tips on homeschooling the fun-loving, active child and the sensitive child.

Today let’s talk about the determined child. My 13 year old so fits this description. Here he is with a PVC pipe bike that he built from a kit he bought online. It’s the talk of the neighborhood!

Type 3  – busy, industrious, entrepreneurial, no nonsense, fearless

• Type 3 has little tolerance for nonsense and needs to be shown the practical application of what he’s learning. During history lessons, Julien asked me once when he’ll need to know about Chinese emperors in his life? I wasn’t offended, as it’s an honest question! Don’t take this type of thing personally. If you want your child to learn about something, then be confident that the material is important.
• Flexibility – type 3 has ongoing projects that are very important to them that they need to work on in order to feel happy. My type 3 is always building something with his hands. He needs to be allowed to get projects to a stopping point. Instead of demanding they start school at a certain time, be flexible, they’ll really appreciate it.  
• Type 3 will doggedly pursue something even past the point of frustration and needs help managing that. I have to remind my determined child that it’s ok to take a breather and come back to something later. One time Julien got so frustrated with a math lesson that he threw his math book on the floor and broke it. Up to that point, he didn’t let on that he needed help. He will struggle through something to the point of angry tears. He needs assistance from me to walk away from something. This dogged determination means that type 3 gets a lot done in their life! 
• Allow your type 3 to pursue moneymaking ventures, as they have an entrepreneurial streak and make great business owners. These are wonderful learning opportunities. Among other endeavors, Julien has had a thriving eBay business, buying and selling for a profit. Learning math, customer service, accounting, profit and loss, even copywriting, spelling and grammar were all a part of that.  
• Type 3 thrives in a homeschooling environment because they can complete their work quickly and get busy on their projects that fuel them. There isn’t any busywork or nonsense.  
• Read-aloud: type 3s are a hard sell, they have to get interested in the book first to make sure it’s worth their time. My tactic is to agree that we won’t continue reading a book that’s boring. Once he’s interested in the story he’s very eager for me to finish it! Type 3 may be a reluctant reader. They simply don’t see the value of sitting still and reading. It helps for them to keep their hands busy.

I find type 3 to be very refreshing. This type doesn’t waste time with emotional drama or a lot of talk, they’re usually in a good mood, and they just want to get on with it!

Do you recognize any traits of the determined child in your kids?