I'm going to be real honest here. Home school has been incredibly hard this year. And that is an understatement. Last year was pretty easy for the most part. I let Lily decide what to do when and we just went with the flow.
This year, I started the year off that way. And it just was not working. She decided it was time to buck the system. Selfishness crept in and waged war. Arguing, crying, not focusing, hours of work. It has been exhausting. At least once per week we have talked about whether or not we needed to go back to public school. No one was enjoying life.
I was trying to figure out why we were having so many problems. Yes, her work load increased quite a bit. I mentioned how I didn't like the LA we were doing and added 3 new curriculums for the one we were doing. And I was doing each one every day. After talking with some fellow HS moms, I learned that was too much. So I backed off on that. I also looked into changing diet (high protein and low carb during school time) and cutting out screen time. Other than that, I was at a loss.
So I called in the reinforcements! With Mimi coming to town, I called her in as a sub. She has experience and a gift of teaching, two things I do not have. She went to planning and organizing. I knew Lily would enjoy Mimi teaching her and I knew I needed a break.
Lily had a much needed good week with Mimi. And I had a much needed break to rejuvenate. Plus, it gave me some time to get some projects done with Pop's help. (Well, we attempted the projects and some were flops, but at least they got crossed off the list!)
Back to school, Mimi had some great ideas. Things I really should have thought about, but never did due to my lack of training. She made a schedule--because having the teacher set the tone for the day, instead of the student, puts the teacher in charge. Lily needs that structure and needs the boundaries. I was more into the freedom of homeschool than realizing how much she needed those boundaries. I was allowing her to be in charge when I let her choose the schedule. What works for one, does not work for everyone. Now I know.
We also split some subjects that she either doesn't care for (math) or that take a lot of time (grammar). Splitting those has made it less overwhelming for her, which makes it less of a battle for me. And then we added in a recess time and an earlier lunch. Instead of finishing the day between 2 and 3, we are now done around 1pm. It's so much better.
I had to let my guard down and let someone come in and see my day. Very humbling. But it was totally worth it! I am so glad Mimi was willing to take her vacation time to help me out. Loved her insight and pointers to helping us get back on track so we will still love each other at the end of this school year! I cannot thank you enough!!
Since we have made all these changes a month ago, Lily and I are less stressed throughout the day. She is snuggling up on the couch with me again and I am not yelling all day. She is focused more and I am relaxed more. It has been such a better few weeks. Yes, we still have minor issues from time to time, but overall, she knows I am in charge and we stick to the schedule (that is now printed out for each day). And I am trying to add in more fun stuff to keep things interesting. It is no longer a stressor in life, but becoming a joy once again. I know in the years to come I will always remember these days we have together and I will be forever grateful that the Lord called me to the journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment