My stuck-at-home journal has not only been therapeutic through this unnerving, historical time, but it’s a cool way to record all of my family’s thoughts and memories–the good, the bad, and the frustrating.
My Stuck-at-Home Journal Has Me Evaluating Homeschooling
For many of us, this is day 9 of schooling at home.
I want to encourage you that you are doing WAY better than you may think.
This is year 14 of partially homeschooling for me. Because my kids traditionally/untraditionally go to school just 2 days a week and we “homeschool” the other days, I have been in the middle of both school and home learning for many years.
I never expected to be a homeschooler. EVER. But you probably didn’t either…
The expectations I had for myself initially were never met…
…you know, the creative learning environment, the enrichment activities that extended lessons, dinner on the table at 6 for the entire family.
Those things are not my strength.
And for several years I compared myself with other moms from the school who ran CIRCLES, SQUARES & RHOMBOIDS around me when it came to all those things I thought I should be doing.
On my third year orientation training for the school. My oldest was entering 2nd grade. The headmaster started her presentation with the words, “Everyone is here for a different reason…”
I don’t even know what she said after that because those words changed everything for me.
Tailor Schooling to Fit Your Family
It gave me permission to approach this non-traditional education model in the way I saw fit. What worked best for OUR family. I no longer felt the pressure to be like anyone else.
I thought about what my ultimate goal was for our boys…independence.
And planned their home learning around that goal.
Once they could read, they were in charge of their studies.
I was there for questions, but they were in charge of making sure I did what they needed to have done before they turned it in.
They were the boss, not me.
[In my opinion, the pre-readers are the hardest to help with learning at home! You are literally like their interpreter to the work. And that is a very time-consuming job. God bless you with patience to take on this task…]
Stick with What Works for Your Family
That is why I really want to encourage you. Our goal is for our kids to be independent. So, if you had to step away while they were learning, or you couldn’t answer a question, or you didn’t know how to guide them in solving a problem…those are all GOOD things!
That gave them space.
Space to learn.
Space to solve.
The cool thing is that kids actually LIKE to learn when they don’t have someone looking over their shoulder.
They also are capable of keeping track of way more details than we can.
And when they learn to solve little problems, I feel like it is training for the bigger ones.
Don’t tell the school…but I haven’t logged into their grades/instructions for 11 years.
Carry on. You are going to do this the best way for your family.
You know your kids.
Embrace their budding independence.
Fun Things to Do While You’re Stuck at Home During Lockdown
How is homeschool going for your family? 
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