I have been busy cleaning off bookshelves, organizing supplies and taking inventory of what resources we have at our disposal to move forward with our school year.
Having just written that, I cringe. I really hate to use the word school. I am an unschooler at heart and thankfully so, as the last couple of years, I have been less engaged with the children's education than I am comfortable admitting. I've watched them continue to learn, to grow, to think and in some ways, I wonder why I should mess with any success I have seen. On the other hand, this moving forward, changing directions is the very thing that they are asking for so in the spirit of unschooling and following their lead, a bit more structure is in our future.
Regarding uncomfortable admissions, I had this conversation with a friend last night about being honest on our homeschooling blogs, painting the real picture. I have fallen victim to discouragement after spending an afternoon reading homeschool blogs and the descriptions of nature walks, science experiments and living math. Those photos of organized school rooms, planners and file boxes, shiny, happy children do me in every time. Do we have moments like these? Yeah, I guess so but they are just moments of many moments and some of the others are just atrocious ... like the time I threw a Saxon Math book across the room. Not proud of that and it was uncomfortable admitting that at a homeschool support group meeting, but I will say that when I did, there was a collective sigh of relief in the room. I think many other moms were wondering if they were the only ones who had less than perfect days.
I want to be honest here. It pains me to have to admit that I really unplugged from my kids for awhile, in some ways. In others, I have stayed very close to them. But as someone who has taken on the responsibility of facilitating my children's education at home, I need to stay focused on what my priorities are. I lost that vision for awhile.
Thankfully, the spark has been reignited and in part, I owe that to my above mentioned friend. She started the ball rolling for herself and I quickly got caught up in the inspiration. Speaking of her, she has written an excellent post, giving one of the most important pieces of advice for your homeschooling success. Hint: It's not about the curriculum.
In coming days, I will post more specifics about what we are doing, how we are doing, when and where. Maybe I will become better at taking photos and quicker at uploading them so that you can see my shiny, happy children eagerly learning all that they can. Can't promise that but what I can promise is reality. There will be much wonderful to share and some not-so-wonderful as well. I hope you will be inspired by what could be and encouraged that what is is probably normal and common to us all.
Having just written that, I cringe. I really hate to use the word school. I am an unschooler at heart and thankfully so, as the last couple of years, I have been less engaged with the children's education than I am comfortable admitting. I've watched them continue to learn, to grow, to think and in some ways, I wonder why I should mess with any success I have seen. On the other hand, this moving forward, changing directions is the very thing that they are asking for so in the spirit of unschooling and following their lead, a bit more structure is in our future.
Regarding uncomfortable admissions, I had this conversation with a friend last night about being honest on our homeschooling blogs, painting the real picture. I have fallen victim to discouragement after spending an afternoon reading homeschool blogs and the descriptions of nature walks, science experiments and living math. Those photos of organized school rooms, planners and file boxes, shiny, happy children do me in every time. Do we have moments like these? Yeah, I guess so but they are just moments of many moments and some of the others are just atrocious ... like the time I threw a Saxon Math book across the room. Not proud of that and it was uncomfortable admitting that at a homeschool support group meeting, but I will say that when I did, there was a collective sigh of relief in the room. I think many other moms were wondering if they were the only ones who had less than perfect days.
I want to be honest here. It pains me to have to admit that I really unplugged from my kids for awhile, in some ways. In others, I have stayed very close to them. But as someone who has taken on the responsibility of facilitating my children's education at home, I need to stay focused on what my priorities are. I lost that vision for awhile.
Thankfully, the spark has been reignited and in part, I owe that to my above mentioned friend. She started the ball rolling for herself and I quickly got caught up in the inspiration. Speaking of her, she has written an excellent post, giving one of the most important pieces of advice for your homeschooling success. Hint: It's not about the curriculum.
In coming days, I will post more specifics about what we are doing, how we are doing, when and where. Maybe I will become better at taking photos and quicker at uploading them so that you can see my shiny, happy children eagerly learning all that they can. Can't promise that but what I can promise is reality. There will be much wonderful to share and some not-so-wonderful as well. I hope you will be inspired by what could be and encouraged that what is is probably normal and common to us all.
I'm one of those bloggers who doesn't share the "dark side" of our days. I just don't want to put that out there. But reality is that those days exist. I lose patience. I lose focus. My daughter gets frustrated and cries.
ReplyDeleteI assume that people KNOW that the bad stuff exists when they see all the smiles and "perfect projects" on a blog. Just like a wedding album. You know that the wedding day was full of anxiety and maybe even tears of frustration, but the photos capture only the beautiful parts.
I appreciate your transparency!
Hi Jimmie,
ReplyDeleteI know and read your blog and would recommend it to any homeschooling mom for a great source of ideas and inspiration.
For me, I think it is about being authentic to your voice. Obviously, my voice tends to be one that will admit the dark side. My life is pretty much an open book. Your voice is focused on all the good stuff and I think all the voices are needed to present a balanced, realistic view of homeschooling.
Thanks for stopping by!!!