We are in the final weeks of
our second year of homeschooling. It’s still seems crazy to me when I think
about it. Yet, here we are, wrapping up Year 2 and feeling pretty great about
it.
This was our sophomore year
of homeschooling. And just like true sophomores, we weren’t the new kids on
campus anymore. I had learned a few things – had a little experience under my
belt – but was still learning the ropes and figuring out our place.
It’s hard to have any sense
of perspective during the school year. For me, the school year is mostly one
big whirlwind of trial and error, stumbling around in the dark, trying new
things, standing my ground, crying (all of us), threatening public school, and
desperate prayers that this whole thing will somehow turn out ok. From the slow
trudge up the hill in October to feeling like the top is nowhere in sight in
February, every day is one foot in front of the other or, in this case, one
lesson to the next. But now that we’ve crested the hill in May, oh my, the view
from the top is beautiful. I can see the steps behind me and I can see the
valley and the next mountain ahead. Now I can have some perspective on this
year. And I can see what I learned. (Because, the truth is, most days this
whole thing feels so much less about what the kids need to learn and so much
more about what I need to learn…and I’m not talking about multiplication
tables.)
You shall overcome. The thrill and newness of freshman year were over. We
had settled into our routine, we were comfortable, and there were some
boundaries to test. Also, I had a clearer idea on our weakness and had a game
plan to tackle them. Oh, there were tough days. Days where I wondered if this
made sense for us as a family. Was this too much to take on and were we all
going to make it out alive and still like each other? As I think back to the
start of the year and the ground we’ve covered, I can honestly say my kids know
so much more today than they did 9 months ago and I feel incredibly thankful
for it. I can also see how we’ve bonded, even more so over the hard times. It
seems counterintuitive, but nothing brings a family together like debates over
the use of dashes and commas, discussions on the causes of world wars, and the
spilling of tears over long division (and there were a lot of tears…). We climbed the mountain and we climbed it
together.
Dress the part. A friend came for a visit a few months ago and she witness some of our
homeschool day. Afterward she asked me how I get the kids to take me seriously.
I didn’t have an immediate answer for her (that’s a fancy way of saying I
shrugged and said, “I have no idea.”) but, the more I thought of it, I realized
every day I get fully dressed. I dress in
“business casual” attire every day. I dress like I’m going to work
because I am. And 75% of those days I’m not leaving the house. My entire day
will be spent inside the house with the kids working on school and then working
on some chores. It’s a lot of effort but I think it helps the kids see that I’m
taking this seriously. Being their teacher is my job. Being students is their
job.
Choose your battles and know when to quit. As a freshman homeschooler, I had to check off every
block. It all had to get done, exactly on the day planned, whether we liked it
or not. There was very little grace or flexibility. This year, with a little
confidence and knowledge, I learned to accept when things were not worth the
fight. If a book was not working for our family, and I couldn’t figure out a
way to make it work, I switched to another book. When a day felt overwhelmingly
like I was swimming against a gushing current, we ended early and made up for
it on another smoother-sailing day. Ultimately, all the work got done, and some
shreds of sanity were saved in the process.
Find your “group” (i.e. make sure you have a support
system). I would have never survived
this year without the tidbits of advice from other Moms and our discussions
about homeschooling. I also would have never survived without the never-ending
support and encouragement of my husband. When I couldn’t see clearly, he turned
on the lights.
Go to the Principal’s Office. I joke that my husband is the principal of our
homeschool but the real principal of our school is God. Sure I’m in charge of
the lesson plans, but ultimately He’s setting the guidelines and standards for
us. This is His school. That’s why I can honestly say it has less to do with
anything I’ve done, really, and so much more to do with the grace and wisdom of
God. Any of the victories here are truly His victories. So, I make sure to
“visit the Principal’s Office,” through prayers and reading my Bible, on a
near-daily basis.
I’m still figuring it all
out but I’m looking forward to reporting on our junior year. So, whether you
homeschool or not, I wish you all a very HAPPY summer.
