What Chick-fil-A Has Taught Me…Advice For New Homeschoolers
Are you a new homeschooler needing a little direction? Chick-fil-a has taught me 10 important pieces of advice for new homeschoolers. Click now to read.
The A/C blasts in my face as I watch the brake lights in front of me. Cars are stacked in the drive-thru and wrap clear around the building. There isn’t a parking space to be found. You would think that perhaps there was a national shortage on chicken or something crazy like that, but it’s just another day at Chick-fil-A.
As I sat in line watching the near-empty parking lots of the competitors right across the street, I just smiled at the success that this business has had. And then I got to thinking…could I apply Chick-fil-A’s philosophies to my life? Could it be that Chick-fil-A has advice for new homeschoolers? Yes, I think so.
Table of Contents
Advice for New Homeschoolers
It’s my pleasure
Regardless of how busy it is or how a customer behaves, the response from a CFA employee is always, “It’s my pleasure.” My homeschool should be the same way. It’s a pleasure to have this freedom. Even on the hard days when no one is listening or the baby colors on my new dress.
Rest on Sundays
Being closed on Sunday is a standard that defines the success of CFA. Am I willing to rest on Sunday? Putting family first will always bring successful results. I long to enjoy God’s day. To rest in Him, worship, and to worry about those lesson plans later.
Give generously
CFA is always the first to donate and support ministries. I want this to be a part of my homeschool. Who can we give to today? Does the elderly lady down the street need a meal? Does the church need some repair work? Perhaps the greatest advantage to homeschooling is the ability to integrate service to others into our daily lives. I don’t want to miss this.
Reading is a PRIZE!
Most of the time, kid’s meals come with a book. What an amazing prize! We are a privileged people in that we own even one book. Am I teaching my children that reading is a prize and a wonderful privilege? (See how to inspire a love of reading for ideas on how to encourage readers.)
Quality is worth the cost
I don’t think anyone would argue that CFA is an expensive fast food restaurant. Yet, again, we keep coming back. A large part of the reason for that is quality. I’m willing to pay a little more because it tastes good. And that’s exactly what my homeschool should be. I’m willing to do a little more because the benefit is good. While some days homeschooling is a daunting sacrifice, I must remember that it’s worth the cost.
Be clean and neat
One of the few restaurants that actually hires people simply to walk around and clean, CFA sets the bar high. I won’t eat in a dirty restaurant any more than I will school in a dirty room. If my space isn’t neat and organized, I feel overwhelmed or uninterested. Cleaning and organizing must be a priority. (Check out last year’s school area.)
Always make sure there is a place for play
My children know Chick-fil-A for their play places. It adds a little excitement into a seemingly mundane activity—eating. I want this excitement in my homeschool. How easily I can become trapped by the lesson plans and forget to enjoy. A valuable benefit of homeschooling is this freedom to simply play. To explore and create. May I not squelch that desire with a long to-do list or stack of worksheets.
Take requests
I’m picky and I love that I can ask for something specific at CFA and know that the employee will be thrilled to help with it. I want my children to have the same confidence—to know that when they express interest in a subject, I will try to make it a part of our studies, if at all possible. I want them to give feedback on what works about a book that I have chosen and when they are older, help me select from the various wonderful choices out there.
Train well
One of the most talked about components of the CFA business model is their manager and owner training. The corporate office relies on this training to set up every aspect of their business. Without it, everything crumbles. As a homeschool mom, I have the same need for training. In order to sharpen my skills, I need an annual convention full of ideas, mentors, and curriculum…such as my all-time favorite, Teach Them Diligently Convention.
Go the second mile
This was actually Truett Cathy’s number one business principle. You see it written all over the restaurant, from refilling drinks at your table to carrying trays for busy moms. Cathy challenged his employees to think beyond the first mile and go a second. How does this look in my homeschool? Am I just doing enough to get by or am I giving my kids the second mile? For me, going the second mile is about doing those little things that my kids love, rather than just doing what needs to be done to finish the book or topic. And, yes, paint is usually involved!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this fun way to introduce you to homeschooling, but seriously, here are some helpful links to get you started homeschooling.
Disclaimer: Chick-fil-A did not approve, endorse, or compensate me for the ideas in this post. It’s simply my fun way of offering up some helpful advice for new (or even not so new) homeschoolers. If you happen to work for Chick-fil-A, I hope you enjoyed it. (And if you feel so inclined, I’d love to have some pens. I know, silly request, but I love your pens.)
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Through practical tools & Bible-based resources, Kim Sorgius is dedicated to helping your family GROW in faith so you can be Not Consumed by life’s struggles. Author of popular kid’s devotional Bible studies and practical homeschooling tools, Kim has a master’s degree in education and curriculum design coupled with over 2 decades of experience working with kids and teens. Above all, her most treasured job is mother and homeschool teacher of four amazing kiddos.
Guess what? I’ve NEVER been to Chick-Fil-A! There’s NONE around here! But with everyone raving about this restaurant…the first time I see one we’ll stop and munch! LOL
Jessy- I do certainly hope that you are awarded the opportunity to visit CFA sometime very soon. It really is a pleasure!
I love this! My husband adores Chik-fil-a. I’m not such a big fan of the food. They are building a new one in our town. He is really excited, I’m pumped about the play place.
We certainly can apply their philosophies to many areas of our life! I like how you’ve done that with homeschool.
Mary Beth
The play place is wonderful…and they professionally clean it DAILY!
this is fabulous. as a fellow chick-fil-a consumer, I completely agree!
great post!! i never thought of it this way, tho i am a loyal CFA fan.
Awesomeness. =) I love this post. =)
Very clever and well thought out post. Now I”m hungry for CFA. =0)
Loved this and shared it on my blog! Thank you. 🙂 We love CFA.
Thanks again!
OH I LOVE this!!! Thank you for such encouraging and challenging thoughts.
What incredible insight! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Love this! Thank you.
I work for Chick-fil-A and I love this! 😀
Thank you SO much for this post! What a wonderful perspective on homeschooling the “Chick-fil-A way”! I am a new homeschooling mom but born and raised in GA I am extremy familiar with chick-fil-a! I love the family and the standards they have set, how wonderful we can use them to teach our children. You should check out Truets books, especialy “Its better to build boys, than mend men”, great book!
So sorry for the spelling errors! My tablet is going nuts!
I love this Kim!
Everything you said is so true.
Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
~Stephanie
Oh! And I forgot to say, I LOVE CHICK-FIL-A! 🙂
Your first point is THE MOST important! It is our pleasure to homeschool our children. We have been blessed with a wonderful opportunity to tailor our child’s education around them – their strengths, their weaknesses, their interests. It’s funny, my daughter draws a lot, so I thought I would make her more difficult subjects art-based. Turns out she’s not interested in art! She’s interested in cartooning! So now we take a lot of pictures when we go to the art museum and we’re going to use a program to turn the pictures into cartoons and add text to them. I had a hard time accepting the change.
Her lack of interest in school and (trouble keeping up) was the whole point in homeschooling. I’m at the point where I have to remember that is my pleasure to homeschool her the way SHE needs to be homeschooled.
Thanks for sharing! I’m going to CFA now!
A friend from church shared this with me, I’m a operator (franchisee) in Greensburg, PA. Thanks for the positive comments! Which pens would you like? I’d be happy to send you some!
Aww. I really was kidding about the pens, it’s not hard to say good things about Chick-fik-a. (I like the really thin ones. I believe they are called “javelina” pens.)
I love chik-fil-a and I love the analogy!
Thank you for this. Challenging in the best way–especially this time of year.
I am blessed to work for Chick-fil-A! After staying home with my children (funny, I don’t remember being “home” that often), I headed back to the workforce once my youngest started school! It is a wonderful experience as an employee too! Thanks for a well-written article!
I absolutely LOVE Chick Fil A and this post. I took my kids there for lunch today. A friend and I had this same conversation this morning and we were wishing that we had stock in the company. 🙂 What a great way to compare it to homeschooling!!!
But the foods gross and the dining room dirty (at least that has been my experience with the local locations).
I’m shocked to hear this. I’ve been to dozens of CFA’s around the country and never once experienced anything dirty! It’s by far the cleanest fast food option and in my opinion FAR more tasty. 🙂
What an excellent perspective. Thank you for articulating and sharing this! Also, I really want a #1 with sweet tea and CFA sauce now 😉
Really enjoyed the outline in relation to CFA and what it takes to homeschool. I only wish I could franchise my own one day. Yet then if I raise my children up to be enterpuernuers this would be a likely prospect! ??
Love this! And love Chick-fil-A!!