I realized that I still had preconceptions about homeschooling.
And I threw them away.
I was still viewing homeschool as the ordered process that "the state" has dictated for children everywhere. And ultimately forgetting our main reason for homeschooling - as parents, we know better than the state.
I spent most of our last school year feeling horribly guilty for missing so many days because of how my pregnancy was going. So guilty in fact that I had lost all motivation by the time we started this school year.
With much praying, talking to other homeschool parents and reading some great homeschool blogs I started understanding that this is our life. Homeschool is not something you do for a few hours a day... it's a day-long process and a way of life. When I take my five year old shopping, I have her pick out the less expensive toothbrush, my three year old measures ingredients and my two year old is already learning chores (the baby gets to watch all of this). I was thinking that I had failed in teaching if we missed a day after the baby kept me up all night... but I was still teaching them life lessons.
After coming to grips with this... I did a 180 and cleared all of the dates from our lesson plan.
Now if we're a week behind who's going to know (or care)? If school runs into the summer - GOOD - the kids will have something to occupy their time!
So this school year will be a little less stressful, maybe a litttle more fun and maybe I'll pay more attention the next time I try making a problem where there wasn't one before...
Thank you for sharing this honest post! This is my first year homeschooling both my girls. We withdrew my daughter from second grade last January and I started trying to "school at home" and quickly realized that would not work. Then I thought I was a classical type person and quickly realized I am not! I have settled into a Charlotte Mason style but we are relaxed. Learning does happen all the time and everywhere, I am just sure to point it out now! It is hard though when family members or non-homeschooling friends do not realize that this is not school-at-home and we are not teaching to a test or to a curriculum. I think it takes time and patience to work through this and that is my goal for this fall.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I have 9 children, and have always homeschooled, and STILL have to learn to be flexible. (I've done that, too - just toss the lesson plans!)
ReplyDeleteHopping by from the Hip Homeschool Hop. ;-)