After six years of homeschooling, loving it and feeling successful, I’m here to say I have fallen off the homeschool wagon. Big time!
A move, followed by the holidays, followed by major house issues and renovations zapped the creativity and energy I once had. My homeschool well is dry! For the last several months, homeschooling has not felt even a little fun. It’s felt like work.
For our family, paying attention to time is a huge piece of why we homeschool: having enough time for things we love, spending time together, and learning at the times when we feel our best. I homeschool because I want my children to have time to learn and follow their passions. For us, this means we don’t follow a traditional school schedule.
If you’ve ever doubted yourself as a homeschooler, you’re not alone. No matter how many years we homeschool, doubt can get loud. Seeds of doubt plant germinate and sprout when our kids struggle, when we’re tired, when our kids say they are bored, or when learning stagnates.
When worry rears its head, our inclination might be to turn to a quick fix or busy work to quiet our fears.
One of my first homeschool memories is of my children and me riding our bikes around the neighborhood one weekday morning. It was early spring and one of the first pretty days in a long while. I remember saying to my son, " If you were still in school and I were still teaching, we would be inside, missing this beautiful day."
For our family, learning happens everywhere, and frequently that means outdoors.
In October my family intentionally downsized to a smaller home and minimized our belongings. Decluttering and purging is challenging, especially when you homeschool. Like many homeschool families, our home is filled with books, art supplies, science kits, math manipulatives, games and more games, toys, and paper (so much paper).
And we need all these things!
Maybe it’s just me, but homeschooling in the winter can be a challenge. My children don’t play outside as much, playgroups don’t meet as often, and we spend a lot more time at home.
In some ways, this homeward focus is a gift. We love homeschooling because we love home, but we also love and need our community and friends. When the forecast looks cold and gray, all I want to do is stay in my pajamas and read. My kids seek screens more often, and if we’re not careful, we can start to feel blue.
Today I am the homeschool mom who is going through big life changes and feeling overwhelmed. In the last 30 days, my husband and I made a big life decision, totaled both of our cars, and put an offer on a house. That's a lot of chaos, mental energy, and physical upheaval in a short period of time!
When people ask how I am, I'm not sure how to answer.
I’m bad at math. I’m a horrible writer. I can’t spell.
Have you heard any of these self-desparaging phrases in your home? Maybe you said one of them when you were a child. I did, and I’ve listened to both of my children speak with authority about how they can’t do something.
Even though our homeschooled kids might not have new classrooms to find or new teachers to get used to, each homeschool year brings plenty of changes. Maybe you’re trying a new curriculum or you’re joining a co-op. Maybe your kids take online classes, local classes, or—like me—you have children from your community joining you in your home for the first time.
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” —Benjamin Franklin
If our well is dry, homeschooling (the good and the hard) can feel impossible. Homeschooling doesn’t offer us planning periods or lunch breaks. We don’t get paid time off or teacher work days built into our schedules. Our days are dictated by the things we say yes to.
Yes to piano lessons and helping each child with their math. Yes to read-alouds, meal prep, co-ops, French lessons, and play-group.
