Welcome to another edition of Seeds of Wisdom!
This weeks question is: What is your biggest struggle when it comes to homeschooling?
Ralene: My biggest struggle is having the discipline to homeschool every day. I'm tempted (and often give in) to throw the towel in when I'm tired or sick (which happens quite often...low immune system) or if the girls are having a particularly hard day. I know, though, that it is in all of our best interest if we can stick to the routine.
Aurie: My biggest struggle is being flexible! We learn towards the unschooling method, which works well for my girls, but I still struggle with the need to "teach" things in "order". I'm working on it!
Heather: I have two issues that I struggle with equally.
1.- Staying on schedule. Some days I just really don't feel like teaching. Ugh- did I just really just type that?!
2.- Remembering that we are homeschooling- not schooling at home. There is a difference!
Jessica: My biggest homeschool struggle is pacing. I am a very "ALL IN" kind of girl, so I always want to fit too much into a day or more into a lesson than my kids can handle. My goal oriented nature can make it difficult not to try to overachieve - I do well with a schedule that someone else wrote! I learned in our first year of homeschooling how important it was for me to be able to let go of my plans if things were falling apart. It is more important how my children feel than how quickly we get through lessons. I've also learned a lot from talking with and watching other homeschooling mothers or teachers of children with similar ages. It helps me to remember that slow, patient steps go much farther than a sprint. I work on keeping my focus away from "what's next?" and steady with "right now."
Marla: My biggest problem is finding a balance for myself and the girls. Abigail and I both love preschool and we could be happy "doing school" all day every day and I would love to spend hours planning/creating activities each night. However, we also need to find time for sport and fine art activities, playdates/time with friends, free play, housework, errands, family outings, and rest.
Tracy: My biggest struggle is not the homeschooling as much as trying to balance the rest of my life while we homeschool--the meals, the cleaning, even my marriage! It's so easy to let homeschool crowd into everything else. Keeping it boxed into its own time and space is my most important battle.
Sam: Leaving my public school background behind. I want to be the person who makes learning fun, and I still struggle with the only thing I know, which is the institutional education style. I want to leave all of that behind, and trust my instincts about learning.
What about you? What do you struggle with?
If you have any questions you would like us to answer, please send an email to raleneburke at yahoo dot com with the subject "Seeds of Wisdom". First in, first out!
