I don't know if every homeschooling parent feels the way I do, but sometimes I get so focused on the trees, I completely miss the national forest I'm standing in. I read on various lists and blogs about homeschooled children who literally dance to their studies each day with complete and utter delight at the prospect of spending their day on their books and materials.
They don't live in my house.
Mind you, the boys have moments when they are driven to keep going out of interest, but those moments do not occur every day. We do not unschool, and I like to expose the boys to a well-rounded curriculum. As a result, I get the unenviable task of keeping everyone at least relatively on track in their studies.
Between those moments of curiosity-driven learning, we sometimes slog. I've never found that the boys are unable to understand what's put before them, but they do have times when they just turn off. So, we switch subjects and try something new. Eventually, however, they need to move forward. Therein can lie my pervasive sense of frustration.
That's where our charter provides a surprising benefit. We meet once a month to review the boys' progress. I usually spend the weekend before the meeting finalizing lessons plans and quickly reviewing with the boys. I am surprisingly heartened after the rough moments of the month to see how much the boys have learned and later hear what they have to say when the education specialist talks with them. They are getting so much more than I realize and are aware of so much more than they would even have the opportunity to be exposed to in a more traditional setting. Frankly, it gives me the energy to go home and start again.
So, if you are feeling burned out and wondering if you are making a difference, try backing up a month and reviewing with your children. You will probably be wonderfully surprised.
They don't live in my house.
Mind you, the boys have moments when they are driven to keep going out of interest, but those moments do not occur every day. We do not unschool, and I like to expose the boys to a well-rounded curriculum. As a result, I get the unenviable task of keeping everyone at least relatively on track in their studies.
Between those moments of curiosity-driven learning, we sometimes slog. I've never found that the boys are unable to understand what's put before them, but they do have times when they just turn off. So, we switch subjects and try something new. Eventually, however, they need to move forward. Therein can lie my pervasive sense of frustration.
That's where our charter provides a surprising benefit. We meet once a month to review the boys' progress. I usually spend the weekend before the meeting finalizing lessons plans and quickly reviewing with the boys. I am surprisingly heartened after the rough moments of the month to see how much the boys have learned and later hear what they have to say when the education specialist talks with them. They are getting so much more than I realize and are aware of so much more than they would even have the opportunity to be exposed to in a more traditional setting. Frankly, it gives me the energy to go home and start again.
So, if you are feeling burned out and wondering if you are making a difference, try backing up a month and reviewing with your children. You will probably be wonderfully surprised.
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