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Slowing Down and Making Changes

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For seven years I worked part time for my church directing a mentorship program, and for the last 2 years I was also homeschooling. I managed to get everything done, but I don’t think that I did it all as well as I could have. My attention was divided because it wasn’t just a job—I cared deeply for the children that our church was reaching out to. But I decided after the first semester of last year that I would have to quit the job and turn that attention to homeschooling our girls, especially since our youngest was going to be Pre-K age this fall.

I thought that would be our biggest change because we already do school year round and had no plans to change that aspect of our homeschool. I was getting excited for summer and being job free. Then we really started to look at all the other activities we were doing, and we started to make some more changes. This summer we did some camps, vacation Bible school, and swim lessons while simultaneously stopping all other activities. I also decided not to do any outside activities for the month of August. It’s been a really nice time and has given us room to discuss what we are going to do for the fall. We like to use outside classes for the things we can’t teach, like Chinese and dance, but we want to make sure we are making the best use of the time outside the house.

We have also talked a lot about our girls’ different learning styles. We have found the the style of teaching is going to have to be completely different for our youngest. Some of the same curriculum will work and others just won’t be used by her, so I sold those to other families. It’s also going to take a lot more time with her because she needs far more repetition than our oldest to retain the information. That’s one of the best things about homeschooling; you can tailor everything and give your kids the time they need.

The fall is the start of a new year for a lot of families, so I encourage you to slow down, look around, and decide if what you are doing is still working. Don’t be afraid to make changes and see if they help your school year go smoother.

Have you made any changes or do you plan to make any changes to your routine or to the way you teach or anything else related to your homeschool year? I would love to hear your suggestions and ideas!

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2 Comments

  1. It’s hard for me to make any changes. I work full-time outside the home, and homeschool my 8th grade daughter. We have had to change how/when we do school, which is mostly in the evenings, but it works for us. I am thankful she is self guided and that we manage to get it all done.

    1. Hello Barbie. I have a good friend in the very same situation and it is working for them too. Keep up the good work!

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