First let me get colorful! I feel like I have been gone for a week! Occasionally During home schooling I get lost in the world of life and forget what I am doing. I want to thank this Spot because it helps me to get motivated, encouraged and ready to take on the year! I had a couple of head aches last week :cry:So things seemed to be over sized in troulbe but the better my brain felt the clearer it felt, the more time I spent in prayer over it the better I felt and the more I focused on what was going on in school room so to speak the easier that became. So--- My words of encouragement to those of you who are stressed, worried or wondering if you made the right choice is the same thing I give to people who are having Maraige problems--or other relationship problems-- go back to when you were first in love with home schooling your child(ren) look at the work they did last that you put on the fridge ( you do put them there right? I do! to encourage them that they can do it! Plus I would if they went out to school so why not now?) Then think about the benifits ds dds get from staying home to school. they CAN work at their own pace --- OOPS OH YEAH! REMEMBer THAT? We wanted our kids to go at their own pace not ours! WOOPS! Not the schools! But thier own! That means that sometimes we have to encourage them to step it up, but for the most part they will learn as they are taught. Secondly remember that you work with what you can use. You have access to the itnernet use it! Ds does his research on the internet during his lesson work, this helps him to find the answers and he actually reads more online than he did in his lesson! So if he cant find the answer in his SOS, he clicks research--- and types in the topic, he searches the topic finds more than enough info and actually has learned extra about some things! For Constitution class he went to the web site that had things on it, he went and read the documents themselves to answer his questions. I told him that is super just leave me a note on the note pad that tells me what web site he studied in Science cause some calculations were off on one set of questions and it was because of .8 being rounded one way on one site and up on the other lol. So be accepting that there are learning things out there for them to use! Let them explore what else they can learn on a subject. SO being flexible in what they use to find the answers is a plus! And if they seem like they are behind in one subject but up there in the others let them get ahead in one of the easier classes then take time from that class to play CATCH UP TIME We do this every so often, even though Friday is officially catch up day here we are finding it used to do regular SOS work this year so its Catch up on any unfinished book work and free if they are there , any exclamation marks get taken out friday after school every two weeks we regenerate... this can mean another whole week of school if it gets too bogged down so I let him know his tenative last day and what holidays he MAY have taken away if he doddles! Now one more thing--- for us schedule lovers--- write it out for yourself, keep a running list for the kids to follow I have to do this this weekend myself so I will not stress in the weeks to come. We have a full month of night stuff, so MY time is all that is really effected-- I have to say dont put your stress on the kids--- they pick it up! I know this by experience too! Once I stepped back, even sat outside of the house to make my own point-- I saw how ds was working hard on his stuff as long as the older ones stayed away.... he WANTS to do good but get side tracked by college students wanting to do what they want ( which is fine for them but its SCHOOL IN SESSION time and I am putting a stop to that one too!) So I hope I have encouraged you all a bit--- I had a messed up stressed up week but I can see clearly now! I can see ahead to know that it will be okay, I knew that anyway but its always nice to be able to see. Btw People have said my schedule wears them out--- it sounds like more on paper ( screne ) than it is ... I am a morning person and love to do the morning stuff then, If I do more in the am, I am jazzed all day! Be blessed today as you plan out the week to come! Dont forget the field trips! ( AND excuse my typos I know I before E rules I just cant get my fingers to listen! lol) :lol:
Thank you for all of your post, but particularly this part. I have monthly goals, and I've had to readjust for a variety of reasons. I end up trying to cram what I had ORIGINALLY wanted along with the 'new' plan. It wasn't working out so well, though. Suppliments are great, but not when it means your child does a significant portion of his or her day on one subject JUST BECAUSE you are trying to meet your goals ("you" and "your" really mean "me" and "mine" here). I let some things get shuffled further into the year, and that's hard for me. So what if ds doesn't learn about time zones this month, or even this year? So what if I didn't manage to REALLY explain photosynthesis or exactly how plants make food? I think it's sooo easy to get caught up in have-tos... at heart I still want my kids to be bigger/faster/stronger/smarter than their peers, and that just is NOT the right attitude at all. (((hugs)))
For real, we do get caught up in it , its like each day can be different, or each week, or we can just agree that we will take it as it comes. When I remember this I can go back to the beginning of my times home schooling and recall why I am doing it. I have to remember too that my friend said to be sure God was calling me to home school cause I was going to go through a lot and if I did not know I had him on my side, lol it was going to be really tough some days. That helps to recall there are good things going on in our home schools, Just as God is not finished with us we need to remember that we are not done untill they graduate and then we just get a break cause you know kids, they'll be back!
hi teacher mom, just want to say it's nice for you to post this so as i read it, it remind me "whys" and have myself evaluate what's been going on in our homeschool. this is "a good thing" for sure. good heallth and happiness.
