As if their plates weren’t already full enough, millions of Americans have also decided to add a large helping of homeschooling onto their dinner plates as well. What was just an ordinary busy life can — for some – become an extraordinarily overwhelming life, complete with the additional duties of schooling and being home all day, not to mention the scary feeling of being responsible for it all.
But homeschooling doesn’t have to feel this way. And — it shouldn’t!
The homeschooling life can be a joy and should never be something families dread. If it becomes a chore or something much worse, changes absolutely need to be made.
Heed these instructions and see if they don’t make a quick and very positive impact on your feelings toward homeschooling. The joy CAN return after these 3 simple steps:
1. Take a break. First and foremost, stop everything! Take a day off, a mini-vacation or field trip, “veg out” with television and some good books, or do whatever it takes to stop thinking about homeschooling for a little bit — a day, a week, or even two if it takes that long. Breathe. Do something fun. Stepping back for a little bit will allow you to look at homeschooling much more objectively in a couple of days.
2. Find support. If you haven’t already, now would be the time to seek out others like you. Get online, make some calls, hang out at the park or library in the mornings, or anything you can do to meet other moms and dads you can talk to. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel after hearing that you aren’t alone, and that others have experienced the very same thing at one time or another.
3. Make some changes. In your homeschool. Or in your life. In expectations, in curriculum, in scheduling, in activites, or in anything else. Just make a change. You can’t expect anything to be different if you keep doing the same thing over and over again. Once you begin homeschooling again, by all means, switch things up. Begin gradually. Drop a subject or two. Change from a book to an online program. School later in the day. Let your child pick what she wants to do a couple of times a week. Sit outside instead of inside. Whatever it takes — just make a change. And if that one doesn’t work, make another. And another. Until things feel better.
Lastly, by all means, don’t give up! Trying these simple rescue strategies are guaranteed to make positive changes — if not save your homeschooling entirely. And please take a moment to read this post about giving up too soon.
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