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!

—> If you have young children, toddlers to early elementary, be sure to enter my giveaway for a Read and Share Children’s Story Bible!

Jamie

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 »