When I started our homeschool journey last year, I was positive and determined. About six weeks in, I was left feeling wanting and ineffective. I did not feel like I was measuring up to other homeschool moms, and that everyone else had it all figured out.
Looking back over the past year I see that:
- we still don’t study nature or have nature journals
- we don’t do daily science experiments using paper maché and vinegar
- we don’t take field trips on a weekly basis
However, my 12 year old did learn:
-orbital notation (and please don’t ask me to explain it, I said she learned it not me!)
-how The International Space Station is powered
-how to write a proper research paper
-how to wash laundry on her own
And it was all fun! It seems somewhere along the way, I stopped caring about what all the other moms were doing and began getting excited about OUR homeschool.
Has anyone else had the same quantum leap in their character and mental outlook as I have?
Photo Credit hoyasmeg
Tammy’s blog is located at Three Different Directions. She has many reviews of different products (many of them homeschool curriculum) there. She is also known to be having a giveaway on occasion! Click the “review” or “giveaway” links at the top of her blog to find them.
No related posts.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Way back, I realized that I had started homeschooling for real when I stopped running to Google every 10 minutes to type in “How do I homeschool ………?” It took about 4 months for me; I was panic-stricken when I began.
Now you’ve “got it” we cannot compare ourselves to others (which is easy to do, even if you have been doing this as long as I have-just the other day, I caught myself doing this and had to shake it off) and your children are learning even if they are not doing science experiments every day (heck we do one about once a month) and so on. Do what feels right for your fam and you will be right on track. I also have a big library of Homeschool books that I refer to frequently, just to reconfirm why I do this, and to glean new ideas (lately it has been the workboxes-man that has brought life to my hs!) and just take it one day at a time-blessings to you and have a great Easter!
Thanks for this! We will be homeschooling next school year. I was wondering what goals to have and how to measure success. It helps to know going in that the goals I have at the beginning may be more of a guideline than a measuring tool. I don’t want to get so caught up in the “plan” that we don’t enjoy the experience and miss out on real learning.
May we all do what we need and be free of trying to measure up to comparisons that are unwarranted and unhelpful. Here’s to your success!
~Luke
Absolutely! Looking at other blogs and talking to other homeschoolers is great for getting ideas, but I used to get all strung out after seeing what other folks did. “We’re not doing enough crafts!” I’d suddenly announce. “Music lessons next fall!” “Spelling…we need to practice spelling!” ARGH! It was crazy-making. But now, with a year under my belt, I can see my kids are learning and excited and doing just fine. They are drawn to study more in their areas of interest, and that’s just fine. We’re all different, and drawn in by different things. It’s gotten much easier to breathe and enjoy the process now.