Homeschool Virtues

  This has probably been the most laborsome year of homeschooling for me ever. I've run into more road blocks, stumbling blocks, Lego blocks, and mental blocks than I can name. This has caused me to redo my homeschool plan several times. Until, I wondered last week if  I was looking for an easy way out of my mess and expected a curriculum to solve the problem.Where is that Easy Homeschooling e-book I just bought?

  There is an especially in-your-face thing about home schooling that I love and hate at the same time: discipline. I'm thinking that I've got it mastered when it comes to chore time, at church, shopping trips, etc...until it comes to group settings without Papa around. Like when we have devotions and school: I get showed up pretty quick on my ability to keep it all flowing in the same direction. I turn into a harassed and bullied mother. Not all the time, but enough to make me consider avoiding these important aspects of our life.

  Bryon, the wonderful father that he is and my balancer, flat out told me to focus on attitudes, manners, and  a healthy learning environment. This means I need to step out of my box: stop worrying about accomplishing lessons in X amount of time, instead concern myself in the manner in which they are done. I have to guard myself against trying to always be fair, fun or listen to 2 to 3 voices at once. Or on the flip side I'm also not running a concentration camp. Balance and a learning environment! Why is this so hard for me!   Unfortunately I am very goal orientated. Lesson numbers, skills learned, and work getting done. I have read books on relaxed homeschooling and it isn't coming naturally. But it is what I want. I don't want a battle day in and day out...I don't want to get "burnt out" and give up.

   The children were complaining about how we aren't doing our art lessons any more. "Art!" I screech, "Lets just get math and science finished without interrupting, crying, sitting in the bathroom for for an hour, tattletaleing, wanting a snack, needing a smack..." pant, pant, pant. As you read this, you know what my problem is, don't you. So, be quiet, I've never had to direct 5 children in as many directions in the same room before. I'm taking my baby steps and we are working on it, the root.

 What do I want to reap?  It helped when I sat down and wrote out our plan again and instead of curriculum to do, wrote out the results I wanted to see from my kids. I have to come to terms to the fact that it's ok if I have to take one of my strong self willed children aside and apply firm direction to her/him until it's taken care of, to not worry about lessons not getting done.  What if the schoolroom falls apart while I'm gone...usually the remainder of these willful creatures are angels for the moment, if not, then there are consequences to bad decisions. High pressure wells up inside me when I'm trying to help Jonathan read when suddenly there is a buffalo stampede over head, a good lesson in respect  is up and coming. Establish order to save ourselves from utter confusion, to regroup when it ultimately erupts, I hadn't thought about stampedes. Relaxing and keeping the pressure off has lent a huge hand in cooperation.


   I also have let The Education Standards of the State of Ohio pressure me into a performance that I am unable to fulfill. Is this why some people say that they can't homeschool their children? Too much pressure on academics and little to no support on execution? Who cares what "Ohio" wants, I want to have a living, learning school (dream on) and I want to enjoy this project! I don't want anyone, including myself, to dread each morning - at least not most of the time! My idea of life is to get through the day as peacefully as possible with out any flack. There is enough in life lessons to send me over the brink without adding algebra on my plate topped with disrespect. I want my children to know how to learn.

  While I have these obligations to teach certain subjects, the base of our classroom must needs to be laid. It isn't just about "now" and getting through our day, it is my children's ability to have self discipline for themselves in the future. Curriculum, no matter how wonderful,  is useless if there isn't a healthy learning atmosphere. This is probably the most difficult thing for me as a parent, it requires a lot out of me: self discipline, order and cooperation, firm direction and consequences, respect and respect and respect.