February. One of those LONG months of being inside and doing school.
I don’t like February. Or January for that matter. But this year I’m looking at the calendar and feeling seriously overwhelmed and guilty.
School has been on the back burner since surgery in December
"You are TOO far behind. The habits they are developing will ruin them. You will be doing this years school next year."
The words in my head could seriously drag me down and not let me see the truth in the situation. Instead of letting them influence my thoughts, I’m trying to take it all a little at a time and doing a few things to keep my head on straight.
Looking at things realistically
Things seem HORRIBLE because it’s February and we are just really getting in to our routine full speed. But when I look at where we are in our curriculum we are just a little behind.
After a hard look at where we are at in each curriculum, the news isn't as dire as I thought.
Math is close to current, This is a very good thing as it is the hardest subject to double up on lessons. Only so much math learning can happen in a day around here.
We are more behind in History, English and Science but the kids don't mind doing two lessons in a day a few times a week. This is a great way to feel like we are getting ahead and making fast progress.
It helps to look forward to the end as we are slogging through the middle so we will keep close track on where we are as we move forward.
Counting life lessons for home school too
There were many reasons we decided that hip replacement surgery was the right thing to do. It did derail us a bit but the kids have been doing “real” life schooling during December and January.
I'm so glad that I've taught my kids that I'm not their maid. Preparing children for independence is so much more than lessons from books. We've also taught them to be capable to do the cooking, cleaning and errands. Those are BIG lessons that really need to be learned before they leave our home.
It is a huge adventure to go in the store with a list and know that you are responsible for providing the food to make the meals. There were mistakes made and it is still not anyone’s favorite chore but all of my kids CAN do this if need.
Sometimes taking care of the people in the house out weighs taking care of the regular school chores.
There are huge life lessons in this for everyone.
It is not easy to care for a person who is frustrated. Showing compassion takes practice.
It is not easy to smile and fix meals when you are tired. But doing what has to be done is a life skill we all need.
No one wants to do the dishes when they made the meal too but that’s life. Unfortunately life is hard sometimes. Ok most of the time.
I can tell you that now that I’m getting back to my regular jobs that here are some REALLY happy kids in our house. But they have learned to function and keep a house running. (with a little help from Dad of course!)
Switching back to normal
The adventure now will be to work hard and catch up without feeling overwhelmed. Sounds like a great plan but in the past week everyone has found this is easier said than done. For the teacher and the student.
We’ve all gotten into the summer relaxed mode in the middle of winter. It is HARD to get up earlier again and jump into the school day instead of playing Minecraft or reading until noon in our jammies. But we are doing it.
We all want to live each day well and finding normal again helps but we also are staying relaxed and flexible. It is ok to grade math in your pjs. School done in the late afternoon is just as valid and finished as work done before lunch. Just because we've never done it that way doesn't mean it is bad to do it that way now.
Counting the JOYs in this current adventure helps decreases the stress
This year hasn't looked like we thought it would. But there are so many things to be thankful for.
Homeschooling allows for "off" years. New babies, illness, struggles, interruptions all make life not run smoothly. The blessing of schooling from home is flexibility to change how we do it all.
Life is the lesson not the curriculum. We learn so much from the "lessons" that God gives us from our circumstances.
Family draws close. It was a huge blessing to be cared for by my children. I can't tell you how good they were about fetching and carrying everything. Several of them got really good at how to put my socks on too. :) This is one of many things they don't tell you about having hip replacement surgery.
Independent learning. Mom was down and out but the kids weren't. They did lessons on their own. And they didn't die. Teens should be able to follow instructions and be self motivated. Talk about a great real life test.
The kids are thankful that I am getting my act back together. Dad is glad that he's not keeping track of everything plus helping a cranky frustrated wife. I am counting all my blessings as we make progress towards normal and getting back on track.
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