It’s no surprise that this homeschooling year has been less than ideal. With everything that we already have to balance as homeschooling parents, throw in a pandemic, we’ve had to find creative ways to stay motivated and encouraged to finish the year strong.
thoughts as we are homeschooling through a pandemic
Our family looked forward to attending church services, AWANA, Sunday school, and choir practice. Though it kept us busy, those activities were our kid’s outlet. They built friendships, practiced social skills and not only did they learn about the Bible, but they were able to exercise reasoning skills and explore their creativity. We do a lot of this at home, but I relied on them being able to socialize and practice what they’re being taught at home in a mostly safe and secure environment. The pandemic really hit home for us as homeschoolers because we, like everyone else, lost a lot of the necessities that we counted on and the church is our lifeline when it comes to building relationships.
One of the lessons I had to learn this past year and one I am still learning is how to persevere in my homeschooling despite these tough times. Thankfully, not a lot changed as far as our curriculum is concerned. Being home was already normal for us so it kept the shock of transition to a minimum. However, I found it very difficult to stay focused on the task at hand. It was easier to have an “off” day when things around our world felt heavy. One off-day turned into 2 and quickly snowballed into a week and we found ourselves a bit behind.
One of the things I learned early on as a homeschooling mom was to give myself plenty of grace, but I did feel like I danced on the line of grace vs. structure quite a bit. On those days where everything seemed a bit overwhelming, I just focused on one thing:
Tackle the priorities and Don’t sweat the small stuff
Priorities: Complete writing, math, reading and exemplify the fruit of the spirit.
Small stuff: Perfection, timeline, comparison, pressure, crafts, unrealistic expectations, super clean home, homemade dinner every night… etc.
This may seem simple, but it helped me gain control of my homeschooling. I gave myself a small list of priorities for a homeschooling day and focused only on those things. Anytime I felt overwhelmed or started to have a headache or feel frustrated, I would weigh what I was doing against that priority list. If they did not align, then I would reevaluate and refocus.
Although we don’t really know what this year holds, my hope is that we can once again find a rhythm and a sense of peace in our homeschool. I know we all long for the days where everything is back to normal and predictable and hopefully, we’ll all be there very soon.
Click here to check out WHY our family has chosen to homeschool
I’m not sure where we’ll be in our homeschooling journey in the next few months, but I do that holding on that phrase, is going to continue to help guide us through the rest of the year.
I’ve also taken some time to meditate on these verses as I pray for direction and steadfastness with not only our homeschooling, but also my faith during this season.
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”- Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
- Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”
How are YOU? How are you navigating through homeschooling with everything that’s going on in the world today?
How are YOU? How are you navigating through homeschooling with everything that’s going on in the world today?
