Homeschool Changes: Good vs. Best
We’re making changes in our homeschool. Again.
For Kathryn, that means getting back to the things we love and eliminating or restructuring other things. We loved homeschooling our first few years. It was much more interactive then, and Kathryn and I both miss read-aloud time, nature studies, art projects, and such. We have sacrificed what’s best for all the other good things we wanted to do.
But for Lindsey, we’re drastically changing things — again.
During a conversation we were having earlier this week, Lindsey said that if she was still with her birth family, she’d be pregnant and/or on drugs by now. Unfortunately, she’s probably right; that has been a pattern in her birth family, and among many of her old friends. Keeping that in mind, does it matter to me if she ever does calculus? Nope! My desire for her in regards to education has been the same all along: that she will be prepared for whatever God calls her to do, and that she will eventually learn to like learning. It’s the process of getting there that’s hard.
This is my fifth year as a homeschooling mama, so it seems like I ought to know what will or won’t work. But I am still learning Lindsey; I haven’t even known her two years yet! So as I continue studying Lindsey, and as she is finally settling into life with a stable and permanent family, I find that changes need to be made along the way.
So, Lindsey is no longer attending the hybrid academy we had her in for the first semester of this year. It’s a great school, and a good fit for many families, but for us — at this time — it’s not what’s best. Again, it’s a case of not settling for good when we can seek what’s really best for us. And for now, that’s having Lindsey at home for school. A tutor will be handling the subject of math for now; it’s Lindsey’s weakest subject, and I am not strong enough in it to figure out where the gaps are and how to fill in the holes to give her a good foundation. I will handle all of the other subjects. There won’t be tests; we won’t have strict homework deadlines that require her to be working at 11PM the night before a school day. I want her to work hard and do her best, but I want to remove the STRESS aspect of her learning. And right now, when she thinks of school, she immediately thinks of stress.
Socially, she still has plenty going on with church activities and high school choir, as well as extracurricular activities. She’s planning to find a part-time job as well, which will have the added benefit of helping her earn money for two mission trips she hopes to go on this year.
This has been a planning/relaxing week, but we’ll start school back up next week. For now, this at least answers the basic questions I’ve been getting lately about our “big changes”! Don’t forget: you can find other families’ weekly wrap-ups at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers!
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Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »
How awesome!!! Good Luck Lindsey!!
I am continually amazed by the fact that as homeschooling families, the choices are unlimited. We have put our children in school if that is best, hybrid schools are another possibility and being home full time is there as well. There is no one-way is best for our children and as a result they each get exactly what they need when they need it. I think you are an amazing Mom!
thanks again Jaime. I have really been struggling through 5 years of what is best for our homeschooling journey. you are so right about what is important. Teaching our children to seek God in their lives in the ONLY thing that matters.
I so agree with you Jamie. Homeschooling, like everything, is a journey. We have to be brave enough to do what is necessary for each individual child despite the “rules” and expectations of the world.
I think homeschooling needs to be a continually evolving part of our lives because our kids’ needs and the dynamics of our family are continually changing things as our families grow and mature. You’ve got a great outlook — focusing on your ultimate goals, as a family, and allowing everything else to fall in line with that.
Best wishes, Lindsey and Jamie with the rest of your school year!
Jessy
http://oursideofthemtn.blogpsot.com
God bless in the New Year! Changes are necessary and evaluating is a wonderful thing because we, as homeschoolers, can change as our children change (or at least try to find the perfect fit along the way)! 🙂
I will be praying for your journey!
Looks like a change will be good for you and her! We have some changes in our homeschooling that will take place on Monday. Hoping to get a post out on it this weekend! Thanks for stopping by my place!
Lindsey is so blessed to have you guiding her education. I wish you all the best with your changes!
Praying for you guys. And yay! for removing stress. Always a good thing in my opinion.
We are always tweaking, changing and making better in our home school situation. Some things work, some don’t. That is the great thing about teaching them ourselves, we can change when it is not working. It is also nice to hear every once in a while that other families struggle with how to homeschool their children too. It makes the rest of us not feel so behind the game.
Blessings
Diane
Kris hit the nail on the head. We are changing things round here, too. Some will be immediate, while others will take place incrementally. It’s a never-ending evaluation process, deciding what works and what doesn’t work as well for each child.
I applaud your desire to find the best situation for your girls and not settling for the good. I’ve always said that schooling decisions should be a family by family, year by year (and really a child by child) basis and there’s no room for my-way-is-best-or-else attitude.