Tag: You Can Do It

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3 Things to do When Homeschooling During a Crisis

homeschooling during a crisis

homeschooling during a crisis

Homeschooling is hard. Homeschooling during a crisis is even harder.

How do I know? Friend, I have been living it. I had to step away from blogging quite some time and let me tell you why. In the past year, we have experienced so much loss. My stepfather passed away suddenly — in fact as of this writing, we have had five deaths in the family. My husband fought and beat cancer again and two close friends of the family passed away.

Talk about being on auto-pilot.

Who’s had time to process, grieve, cry or anything else? Not me. It’s been a rough and emotionally exhausting few months. (My shining light — my eldest graduated from high school!) There were days where I was struggling big time. The overwhelm from all of the loss was/is enough to make anyone sit down and try to regroup. I’ve found myself frustrated, overwhelmed and utterly exhausted at times. A crisis will do that to you.

As a homeschooling mom, it’s been difficult because even though my children are very young, I know that they really like school. They also (on most days) like the structure that a schedule can bring. They know what to expect and tend to look forward to doing certain activities on certain days. And that is something that I have desperately missed giving to them. I want my children to have “normalcy.” I want them to be able to understand that things happen (whether good or bad) but to also appreciate routine. And who am I kidding? The recovering perfectionist in me loves routine, order and planning. Schedules make me smile.

Stop putting extra pressure on yourself.

As homeschoolers, we are fortunate to be raising our children in a flexible learning environment. While we do have to ensure accurate attendance, we don’t have to be burdened by the stress and pressure of a public or private school system’s attendance protocol. This is something that I will admit that I have had to get used to.

Break down units. Break down lessons. And then break them down some more.

Depending on your schooling style, you may follow a strict schedule with your curriculum. In times of crisis, this is the time where you REALLY need to give yourself some grace and allow the flexibility of the homeschool model to work for you. While you may want to keep moving forward with your lessons, remember that it is perfectly fine to not do all of the lesson.

In times of crisis, focus on what you need to do rather that what you may want to do. The work will be there when it is a better time for you to pick it back up. And you know, some days that may involve just being present with your family. These are the times when you will be focusing more on teaching life and coping skills than math facts and that is okay.

Embrace the flexibility of homeschooling and the community around you.

homeschooling during a crisisOne thing that moms have to understand is that we have got to let go of the idea that we HAVE TO BE EVERYTHING to everyone ALL. THE. TIME. I get it – this is hard. We are used to wearing our capes and making everything happen no matter what. It’s just what we do. But during the most stressful times, that type of attitude doesn’t help anyone. It will keep us mamas running on that endless treadmill and feeling exhausted.

 

It will leave our children confused and trying to make sense of what’s happening. We are irritable. The kids are frustrated. It’s not worth it. It’s ok to let another mom take the kids to co-op for a few days. Let another mom or two or three make dinner for you.

Moms have to let go of the idea that we HAVE TO BE EVERYTHING to everyone ALL. THE. TIME.

There is no guilt in you needing to step back for a few days or weeks and saying to those around you that you need some help. For many, this is hard in itself. Please allow me to say this. If you find yourself in a season where you are struggling to do it all and the people around you know it, please let them help you. Allowing others to help does not mean that you are weak. It allows other families to step in and allow embrace what it means to be part of community. A community is strengthened during times of crisis. And community is what sets homeschooling apart. It truly is like no other.

Angel PennWritten by Angel Penn of AngelPenn.com

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Our Unexpected Homeschool Journey

Unexpected homeschool journey

Unexpected homeschool journey

Over the years, I have seen a lot of people give reasons why they can’t homeschool their children.

I understand it, I really do. Before I started homeschooling my son, I was convinced that I would never be able to do it, either.

Two weeks before my son asked me to homeschool him, I was talking with a couple of ladies I’d recently met. When I found out that they homeschooled, my first reaction was something along the lines of, “I’m sure it’s great, but y’all are nuts.” (Yes, I live in the South!)

Our Unexpected Homeschool Journey

Fast forward a couple of weeks to my son’s first day at his new school. We had recently moved to a new state, and in the process, had vetted a number of schools in the area. We chose the one we felt would be a great match for him.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

It turned out that the educational laws in our new state were very different from those in the state we had moved from. (The first allowed progression by readiness, the second solely by age.) As a result, he was required to repeat almost two full years of school.

He left for his first day of first grade excited to learn; he came home crying and begging me to homeschool him.

I was caught off guard, to say the least. I thought it was probably just the first couple of weeks of school being review and getting a baseline for where all the students were at.

So, like any helpful classroom mom, I offered to tear out worksheets and put them in folders for the coming weeks. You know, to help the teacher out, so her focus could be on her students.

I took all the workbooks home and spent the morning organizing all the pages. I found out my son really had learned all the material two years before.

When I returned that afternoon, I asked the teacher if this was for the first quarter, first semester, or if she had a different schedule.

She proudly announced that the bundle I’d brought back was the work for the entire year and thanked me for getting it done so quickly.

She then took me aside and told me, in no uncertain terms, that my son was “an extreme problem child” and “severely ADHD,” and that he “will be medicated if he is to remain in my classroom.”

I was speechless.

On the way home from school, I told my son that I would be happy to homeschool him. I would need a few days to research the legalities and find materials, but I was willing to do it.

The following week, we started homeschooling. That was 14 years ago, and we have never looked back.

Is Homeschooling Worth It?

I can’t say that the past 14 years have been easy or smooth, but honestly, what parenting Unexpected homeschool journeyjourney is? As parents, we are raising our children to be able to take on challenges, learn from mistakes, and do whatever they can to make a difference.

Those are not things that come easily.

Homeschooling encompasses all of this. I like to describe it as “parenting with academics thrown in.” Again, this does not come easily.

It is, however, worth it in every way.

My son is now 20. He is a senior in college, preparing for his future and pursuing his goals. His path is not a traditional one, but it is one that fits him perfectly.

He has successes and failures, like anyone else, but he actively learns from them and seeks to use them to grow. He also mentors others to do the same.

In choosing things to pursue, the first question he asks is, “God, is this what you want me to do?” If the answer is a clear “yes” or “no,” that is the path he takes. He may not always be comfortable with it, but he is obedient to God’s call.

If the answer is unclear, his second question is, “Is it worth it? Will it make a difference?”

He chooses to spend his time doing what will bring the truth of Christ to the people he’s given to reach. That is something that is rarely easy, but it’s always worth it.

To me, this is worth every minute of lost sleep, every headache over which curriculum to choose.

It is worth the in-depth discussions that kept me researching and the silly times of just hanging out.

The Most Important Job

There is no more important job that I could have been doing over the past decade and a half. I wasn’t always sure of it at the time – we never are in the midst of the task – but looking back, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that homeschooling my son was well worth it.

Are you “in the midst” right now, wondering if you’re making a difference? Please, let me be the one to tell you that you are.

Everything you do, whether it seems large or small, is making an impact on your children’s lives. This is an impact that will go far beyond what you can now imagine.

You’ve got this, mama. You’re making a difference that will be felt for years to come. Be encouraged, be strengthened, and be present with your kids. It’s worth it.

Jennifer Duncan Helping Hand HomeschoolWritten by Jennifer Duncan from Helping Hand Homeschool