The Fork in the Homeschool Road

If one thing can be said about homeschooling, it is that change is necessary. Growth cannot come without change.

In the beginning of our homeschooling adventure I was all too happy to settle for the boxed curriculum set we decided on. It felt safe and sure. I'm happy I went that route to begin with because I would have been adrift at sea without it. 

I'm also immensely glad I followed through writing the post "How We Homeschool". Even though it developed into the leviathon of posts, it helped me to rediscover resources I wanted to pursue for our own homeschool, and to rethink the path I wanted our schooling to take. With Aidan Daniel-Booneing his way through new curriculum every year, and Gavin using the same, things that are not working well for us are really starting to stick out. I'm confident enough now to try replacing curriculum when I feel it'll be more beneficial for the boys--and for me.

If I thought about it too much, the enormity of the responsibility I chose to take on my shoulders as sole educator of our children would paralyze me. There's just so many things to learn, and so little time. Add to that having to feed everyone, and maintaining a house every day. It's so overwhelming I've locked myself in my room with tears streaming down my face, wondering what if I just gave up and sent them back to school? What if I'm not doing good enough? What if I'm causing behavior issues because of my wrong approach to situations? How quickly I forget to ask for or seek help when I need it!

There are days I feel like a drill sergeant, barking orders. "Go to page 56. Yes, I know that's five pages! The quicker you get to it the quicker you'll get done. Hey! I need you to take the dog out now before we have an accident on our hands! Then do your grammar. No, you only did one page yesterday. Quit scribbling on your book! And quiet so he can remember his history!" Hurry up and get done so we can hurry up and get something else done. Something had to change.

The wonderful thing about homeschooling is its ability to be changed according to your needs. When I ordered curriculum for the 2016-2017 homeschool year I ended up switching out many more of the books from Our Lady of Victory than I had originally intended. It was also a lot more expensive than I had anticipated, but we needed a change. While I still plan on enrolling the boys in OLVS for high school, I need to get them through the elementary grades with their love for learning intact.

"The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting," -Plutarch

I try to order one or two books for myself each year with the new curriculum to help me become a better teacher and mother. This year's purchase was Sarah Mackenzie's "Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to UNSHAKABLE PEACE". It came before the rest of the books, and it's already proving it's weight in words. I'm inspired to make the rest of this year, and all years to follow, better than ever. The example I show my children now will stick with them the rest of their lives.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel of this homeschool year. I'm weird, most likely crazy, but I'm so excited for the boxes of books to start appearing by the back door. The prospect of doing things differently this next year is refreshing. We're going to ditch the "hurry up and get it done" mentality. Hurry up so we can do something fun. While not all learning will be all fun all the time, we need to make it a pleasant experience, to do all work in a spirit of contentment because it's what we're supposed to be doing. Learning, housework, and recreation are not separate chores that need to be compartmentalized, tackled, and accomplished. They are all parts of real life that need to happen simultaneously, and will never be completely done. Finding a healthy balance of these things for us is my goal in the coming months.

I'm excited to share our books with you as they arrive!