I have lots of little tidbits of thoughts and ideas rolling around in my head and as we approach July and we all start getting ready to go back to school I thought I would write some down. Some of these are things I have tried and others are ideas that I have been given that I plan to implement into our household this year and SEE if they work.
1. My number one first and foremost hardest lesson I had to learn as a homeschool momma was that my household and my school would not and could not look like someone else’s. We are all called to walk different paths. We all have different children with different needs and personalities. So, all of our schooling and household routines will be different and that is okay. Once I learned that lesson and found that freedom I have enjoyed homeschooling even more.
2. Also, I have learned that, although I knew that all of my children were different that difference even shows itself in school. The beauty of homeschooling is that, while our children need to progress at a reasonable pace, that progress can be accomplished in a way that is best for them. This might mean using different books, different schedules, or even different methods to teach my children. No matter how it is accomplished my main focus is on instilling a love of learning and a high level of self-teaching in each of my children.
3. Be organized!! I know that this is not for everyone but for me it is essential. I keep lesson plans. I write out log books of hours and field trips. I have a notebook and each child has their own lesson plans and as each assignment is done it is marked off. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and helps me to see the progress. I use THIS template that I made myself. It allows me not only to watch our daily progress but I also made a space for me to log hours at the bottom so that it is all on one page. In Missourri we are required to log hours and to meet certain requirments wtihin these hours so this format works well for me, at least right now.
Lesson Template
(This document has a grid on it like any lesson plan. Not sure why they don’t show here. Click the link at the top to view it with gridlines)
As I am planning this next year and reorganizing and making this homeschooling journey more my own (as a person that was homeschooled myself it has been hard to “break tradition” from the ways I grew up homeschooling), I am seeking God’s direction not only for our schooling but for our home as well. I want to see my children have hearts of service and worship. I am scared and overwhelemed with the thought that I might not be doing enough. I pray all the time that God would show me what to change or add or remove and that I would be sensitive to that. I keep walking one day at a time seeking His strength and guidance for this thing could motherhood and I know that it will be “enough”. As long as I am in His will and teaching them from my heart, His word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). My children will make their choice and I will stand before Him one day knowing that in His strength, I pressed onward to the finish line.
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