State of Homeschool: Part 2 Homeschooling su**s! What now?!?
Is the state of your homeschool a hot mess? Flat out tired of homeschooling? Have you decided that homeschool really stinks despite your inner voice screaming that come August there is no way you’re putting your kids back in public school?
Take heart, friend! I’m hear to proclaim that sometimes a homeschool bummer day(s), turns into a week, month or full-ugly-season. I’m talking about the days when we can’t figure out why we even dreamed homeschooling could be a good idea. The days our argumentative kids struggle with a single lesson for weeks. I’m thinking about when the dishwasher dies, the car engine blows, junior is diagnosed with something serious and your husband leaves on a 3 week business trip but you still have Geometry lessons to accomplish. I’m thinking of when your extended family disowns you because you’re home schooling the kids but you’re thinking, “heck, Freddie Kruger would be a fine teacher, if it would afford me a nap!” If you haven’t decided for at least a day that homeschool stinks, then brace yourself. It might happen to you. It happened to me and no amount of positive thinking was gonna make it better for me.
Sadly, discouragement has a way of multiplying itself like a gremlin from that 80’s movie. It seemed impossible in the movie, Gremlins, for the actors to prevent the mischievous little critters from multiplying and soon it seemed the whole world was filled with the obnoxious buggers. The same is often true for discouragement in my head. One frustrated thought begets a waterfall of frustrations and next thing I know I can’t find a single success or bright spot!
The solution isn’t always self evident. This is specially true when we are secluded in our home, busy with tasks and surrounded by people with unending expectations of us as their teacher, housekeeper, provider, laundry-maid, chef, taxi driver, gardener, home-veterinarian, coach, librarian, maintenance person, referee, etc. Having a job outside the home, at least for me, often had a more refined (or confined) definition of success. At home, being a Jackie-of-All-Trades and a teacher has been a much greater challenge. It can feel like too much and when discouragement comes, the lifeline is usually hidden behind a mountain of laundry and responsibilities. When discouragement bleeds into homeschool it can be contagious and devastating and become like a snowball plowing downhill, picking up speed and crushing sprouts of good seeds just starting to take root.
While the solution isn’t as obvious as the enemy’s barking discouragement, the good news is that the starting place is clear and perfectly reliable. Sister, the solution is to recognize frustration and discouragement then remember where our strength comes from ! Its really the only solution if we are to avoid being tossed to and fro by our emotions,and the enemies lies – and its oh so easy to fall into the pit, letting go of ourselves, our attitudes and surrendering our day, week, month or season to the enemy. At least it was for me…
When we put our trust in the Lord, He orders our homeschool day. When we consult the Lord before and during our planning, He will provide discernment. When we are administering day to day lessons and activities with our kids, we can be encouraged that we are doing the Lord’s work and trust him to work everything to His glory.
So what have I actually done as the result of prayer and leaning into the Lord during the icky, low, dark seasons? I’ve changed it up! First, I’ve often been instructed by the Lord to remember Him. I’ve changed our schedule and literally gotten some fresh air into the day. I’ve looked at the big picture and filled some gaps. Here are some ideas for what that could look like:
- How have I worked some spiritual instruction into the day for my kids? Do we take time daily to read God’s word together? Are we delighting in learning about the Lord? What would make it a delightful, fulfilling time together? During the dark seasons of homeschool, my answer has been “we’re not.” That’s a red flag! I have been more worried about finishing a curriculum by June than I have worried about training my children up in the Lord. Sometimes we weren’t in the Word because I wasn’t in the Word or my personal quiet times were lacking attention. To remedy all this I have prayed for God to woo me and grow a desire to pursue Him, first, in my own heart. Sometimes I’ve gotten a new devotional for the kids or taken time to watch movies focused on Christianity. Voice of the Martyrs is an excellent resource for stories about persecuted Christians all over the world. This along with their monthly magazine and their annual prayer guide are a wealth of information and encouragement that I have used to teach my kids about history, geography and faith! Sometimes I’ve cancelled math or writing for a while and we have just snuggled and read these amazing stories with an atlas in our lap and a Bible-centered movie cued up with popcorn for after lunch!
- Just after spiritual instruction, I am always checking for fresh air when things get dreadful. Up here near the 49th parallel we have long, dreadful seasons of frigid, dreary weather so that February and March are low spots for loads of homeschoolers. Fact is that we often took a longer break than we’d planned for the Christmas and New Year holidays then struggled to get back to academics and play catch up, bearing down hard on goals during a time when we see the sun three times a month or less. Even if we aren’t driving at goals, the lack of outdoor playtime and fresh air wears on a student body (and mama) quick! So, out of the house activity is a go-to game-changer for me. Finding outdoor venues that we can bundle up for is essential because they are usually free. Parks, arboretums, hikes all look completely different in the dog days of winter! My town happens to have a large botanical garden greenhouse which we visited weekly one winter because it was warm, smelled of tropical plants (think hope of summer to come) and included a nice bench where we could read for a short time or sip a cup of cocoa. If ample snow has fallen we’ve made extensive sled hills and compared materials for sledding (plastic versus metal or cardboard) and created math lessons and simple charts from the results. I’ve involved the kids in planning, budgeting and mapping (turn off apps and map the old fashioned way). We’ve toured local historical sites, driving to them and exploring them while bundled up. It is far easier to imagine the hardships of the American pioneers when its 28 degrees and sleeting outside! If its a “free activity” there is still an opportunity cost for that. For example, did you use the internet to plan or burn fuel in the car to get there? How much does your family spend on internet monthly and what portion of that “cost” was planning your trip (consider times versus data). Have you taught them to calculate miles per gallon for travel or add up the total cost for tickets to a venue? What about writing a poem following a winter nature walk and including an art component with a medium you haven’t tried before? Get creative but get outside and get some fresh air!
- Literally switch what you are doing. If you use a planned subject curriculum, switch to workbooks for a while. Do a unit study. Possibly you use more traditional methods of learning but try something different like Waldorf or Unschooling for a week or two. Ask you kids to prepare a lesson for the family on a given topic. If you avoid art and craft projects, incorporate some hands on projects. Ditch the writing projects and act out some lessons. Take an online class for the whole family. Stream a series of travel videos and learn about other places. My son still has a love for Rick Steves because in the low times, we have hunkered down to watch and learn as he traveled the globe. Have you taught your kids to take the bus, answer the phone, make a bank deposit, build a fire, basic first aid, how to read food labels, how to make a bed the fancy way? Switch it up!
- Audio books are a godsend for freeing up mom’s time to do some planning or even closing her eyes for a “nap”! I was never above plopping my kids down with art supplies and an audio book. For littles, I gave instructions to paint what the pages would look like in the book while they listened. This took a lot of time for younger kids and allowed me to focus on resetting my head. For older students, this can be particularly helpful because an audiobook can tackle tough vernacular. I think specifically of Huckleberry Finn and Uncle Tom’s Cabin which can be a real challenge to read because of unfamiliar jargon. But a narrator flows easily through these classic high school level works like the mighty Mississippi after a spring shower. This not busy work, rather working smart. Its a change from what was my day-to-day routine that makes homeschool life all new again. There is plenty of time to get back to the curriculum and goals next week or next month.
Please leave your own ideas in the comments! I’d delight in hearing from you! And if you could use a little prayer or encouragement, please email me directly anytime !
