Time to dust off this keyboard and give you all a long overdue update. Don’t you think? I’ll start with a homeschool update, but there’s more to come on all our other fronts, thanks for being patient.
Last day of school!
It’s finally here. We completed our end of year review for the academic year and we’re D.O.N.E. for the summer. In theory I love the idea of year-round schooling… In theory. The reality is that it has never worked for our family. This summer with Vince and I preparing for the Peru trip mid-July, it made the most sense for us to take the summer off. I think that collectively, the children and I are all ready for a bit of a break.
This was our fourth year at home. Honestly, it wasn’t any easier than our first year. Or the second. However, four years in I have learned incredibly more about myself and what this homeschooling journey means to my maturity and spiritual growth.
Are you familiar with a make-up mirror? One side normal the other magnifies so you can see all those hidden details?
Homeschooling is a magnifying mirror to your character.
This year we, very thankfully, did not face any of the life-altering trials that we have in our previous years. Yet, we still slogged through the year spending most of it in survival mode, getting done the bare minimum and forgoing all the ‘extras’.
I hate not doing the extras.
I’m an artist. For me art is not an extra. However, in our homeschool it is often one of the first subjects put aside to do the ‘important’ stuff.
It hit me a little hard this year that even without trials we were not succeeding and meeting our family goals for homeschooling.
What is wrong with us?
A couple of months back I was listening in to the iHN Google+ hangout on gifted learners. It was very encouraging and gave me some great tips for how to really let go of some of my hindrances as it comes to teaching Evan in particular. During the chat we began broaching the subject of perfectionism in gifted learners. I was all set to rant on about how his perfectionism is a roadblock to our learning. And then it dawned on me…
My perfectionism is the roadblock to our homeschooling!
When we first brought the children home for school I had grand ideas of what our lovely one-room schoolhouse would be like with my (then) five eager little learners. But I never really made a plan or clear road-map for how we would accomplish any of my unreachable expectations. Nor did I articulate any of those goals to my husband.
What an eye-opener, to say the very least. I’m thankful that God spoke to me in this season, because:
How we’re moving forward and planning for future success is a direct result of me throwing my hands in the air and handing over the reigns.
My reviewer and oversight organization have been very kind and encouraging. This year I finally attempted to document some of our nontraditional learning and I think that was beneficial for all of us. This coming year I will continue to develop this method and share it with you all.
We passed. Though I take no pride in the little we accomplished, I am looking forward to changing directions a bit and learning how to THRIVE in the coming year. Vince is getting involved more, which is awesome. Homeschooling isn’t just a ‘me thing’ but a decision we’ve made as a family and now we’re defining that much more clearly.
I am now the homeschooling mom of rising 7th, 5th, 4th, 2nd graders, a kindergartener and a very busy toddler!
Thank you so much for being curious and encouraging of our adventures. It really blesses me to know you all are interested in how God continues to grow us.
Has the school year come to an end for you? What are you looking forward to this summer?
Lisa,
We’ve wrapped up our year with HOD. I will admit that we did not finish it all the way to the end. We didn’t quit. Just moved on. It was beginning to feel too busy. Get this page done, this experiment, make a history notebook page. We are year ’rounders which works very well for us. I initially planned to take July off but I’m not sure anymore. If we need a break we’ll break but at the moment we don’t. I’m slowing things down a bit so that the kids can be done by the time lunch rolls around. We are also walking away from HOD. I thought for sure HOD would be it for us. It was a good year…and if need be I will fall back on it but I hope we don’t. Ha! How’s that for making sense. There is so much more I’d like to do than check the boxes. KWIM? There are so many more books to be read. 🙂
I think it makes perfect sense. I loved HoD, but for our family it just did not work for where we were picking it up and for the very wide range of skill levels we have. While I love the orderliness of boxes to check, it goes against my creative nature. We’re looking forward to growing in an intentional way and incorporate our passions and creativity.
As always … Thank tou for sharing. I will be lifting you, Vince and the children up in prayer … Just as I prayer for your lil school and our children. I applaud you for all you do. It’s incredible. Excited to keep on reading.
Thank you for always encouraging me, Laurie. I know that LCA is like an extension of your family and I pray that it continues to grow!
Hi! I am looking forward to hearing more about your method for homeschooling that u are developing! We have decided to bring our children home for school as well. I have a rising 8th grader and 2nd grader. We are very excited to begin this journey!
Thank you for commenting, Shannon. It is an exciting journey and I wish you all well as you begin at home. What are some of your plans for the summer and transitioning?