I had an epiphany today.
I love setting up our lesson plans at the beginning of the school year. Make big plans just knowing, surely, this will be the year we stick to it.
December comes and it is all we can do to hold on through the holidays, we are desperately needing a break by then and busy holiday schedules cause everything to fall apart. Come January I am ready to give up on homeschooling and go with un-schooling for the rest of the school year because I feel like I have failed and my kids can learn self motivated.... right?
yeah, right. Not my kids.
This year I really did feel that the time had come when I wouldn't fall victim to these thoughts. It seems, the longer I homeschool, the more confident I become.
But....
There was the move.
Boxes don't pack themselves, load themselves, store themselves, or unpack themselves for that matter! I did, however, give a great amount of grace to myself and allowed myself permission to take an entire month off from school. You may laugh at that statement, but truly, I think we need to permit ourselves from time to time and just not worry about what isn't getting done.
Resuming a schedule was easier said then done. I found myself back at the drawing board and finally hashing out a comprehensive game-plan. Now to make it happen.
That part took prayer.
A lot of prayer.
I'm talking, alert my study group and get down on my own knees with them prayer!
Not under my own roof anymore, used to having alot of room to do school but now schooling in a bedroom where, once we all break out our textbooks, no one can move sideways, and avoiding distracting (even though riveting) conversations with my hubby and mom-in-law when we ought to be learning. The ways of the world were against me.
It was tough.
But God is tougher!
We prevailed through His amazing grace. We got back on track... better than back on track... we have been trucking forward!
Today, as I tuck some of their school books away for a spring break slumber, it struck me... we are not as far along as we thought we would be at this point in the year.
But that is O.K.
We are making steady upward progress.
That is awesome.
For the first time in all the years I have been homeschooling, I have reached April and I don't feel discouraged. As a matter of fact, I am bummed that it will be time for summer break before we know it. It is too bad I can't convince the kids to school through summer!!! haha Yeah right!
You know what else? Because we aren't on schedule I get to take my love of lesson planning.... and sketch up revised plans for the next month-and-a-half as if it were the first month of school!!!
SWEET!
Now I am getting anxious for our homeschool spring break to start and a day set aside to P-L-A-N! So we can finish off our school year with a BANG!
The best part?
It is all because of God, it is all because of prayer, and it is all because I trusted HIM when the going was getting tough (or when the going wasn't going at all!). I rested in God and I knew His peace. No, not every day was perfect. Yes, when we were on break and trying to get back on schedule, some days were hard and I had to give myself a pep talk and lift up a little extra prayer. But I knew my kids would be fine... it isn't about keeping up with public standards, it's about keeping up with Holy standards. It isn't about where we are it is about the progress as we get there.
I pray you are able to rest in His peace today whether you homeschool or public school... entrust your children and their education to the Lord. You can give them no greater hope and trust in no greater purpose.
I love setting up our lesson plans at the beginning of the school year. Make big plans just knowing, surely, this will be the year we stick to it.
December comes and it is all we can do to hold on through the holidays, we are desperately needing a break by then and busy holiday schedules cause everything to fall apart. Come January I am ready to give up on homeschooling and go with un-schooling for the rest of the school year because I feel like I have failed and my kids can learn self motivated.... right?
yeah, right. Not my kids.
This year I really did feel that the time had come when I wouldn't fall victim to these thoughts. It seems, the longer I homeschool, the more confident I become.
But....
There was the move.
Boxes don't pack themselves, load themselves, store themselves, or unpack themselves for that matter! I did, however, give a great amount of grace to myself and allowed myself permission to take an entire month off from school. You may laugh at that statement, but truly, I think we need to permit ourselves from time to time and just not worry about what isn't getting done.
Resuming a schedule was easier said then done. I found myself back at the drawing board and finally hashing out a comprehensive game-plan. Now to make it happen.
That part took prayer.
A lot of prayer.
I'm talking, alert my study group and get down on my own knees with them prayer!
Not under my own roof anymore, used to having alot of room to do school but now schooling in a bedroom where, once we all break out our textbooks, no one can move sideways, and avoiding distracting (even though riveting) conversations with my hubby and mom-in-law when we ought to be learning. The ways of the world were against me.
It was tough.
But God is tougher!
We prevailed through His amazing grace. We got back on track... better than back on track... we have been trucking forward!
Today, as I tuck some of their school books away for a spring break slumber, it struck me... we are not as far along as we thought we would be at this point in the year.
But that is O.K.
We are making steady upward progress.
That is awesome.
For the first time in all the years I have been homeschooling, I have reached April and I don't feel discouraged. As a matter of fact, I am bummed that it will be time for summer break before we know it. It is too bad I can't convince the kids to school through summer!!! haha Yeah right!
You know what else? Because we aren't on schedule I get to take my love of lesson planning.... and sketch up revised plans for the next month-and-a-half as if it were the first month of school!!!
SWEET!
Now I am getting anxious for our homeschool spring break to start and a day set aside to P-L-A-N! So we can finish off our school year with a BANG!
The best part?
It is all because of God, it is all because of prayer, and it is all because I trusted HIM when the going was getting tough (or when the going wasn't going at all!). I rested in God and I knew His peace. No, not every day was perfect. Yes, when we were on break and trying to get back on schedule, some days were hard and I had to give myself a pep talk and lift up a little extra prayer. But I knew my kids would be fine... it isn't about keeping up with public standards, it's about keeping up with Holy standards. It isn't about where we are it is about the progress as we get there.
I pray you are able to rest in His peace today whether you homeschool or public school... entrust your children and their education to the Lord. You can give them no greater hope and trust in no greater purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment