Homeschool Dreams

A brightly painted side room of the house with wide windows looking out into the world.

Walls covered in world maps mark all the places we've been and where friends live.

Multiplication charts and part of speech hung waiting to guide young eyes.

Two desks, thrift store finds, showing age and time from students past.

Kids waking up with smiles on their faces, ready to conquer their books...and the world...waiting to learn something new.

Mom/teacher wakes up at sunrise, coffee and time with God already under her belt so she too can face the day. (Insert Super cape if it helps the picture!)

Sounds ideal right?

Pardon my Texan, but that ain't what we've got goin' on here!

Many have asked how homeschooling has gone since we've arrived and I've been reluctant to answer because... things haven't really gone the way I envisioned. Don't worry the picture above is NOT what I really thought would happen but I did have great dreams of our homeschooling adventure...just on a smaller scale.

So what happened? A few guesses: limited space, using curriculum meant for a classroom, throw a toddler that would love to "help" her siblings into the mix and you've got a pretty rough recipe.

My kids are in the middle of some huge life changes and I understand that flexibility is more often than not a four letter word. Shift to staying at home for school and well, more uncharted territory for them and me.

School can't always start promptly at 8 a.m. Most days when youngest tot is home its best to have school when she's down for a nap. This doesn't sit well when friends get home from school and stand outside looking in the windows waiting for the my two eldest at the table to finish.

Over the course of weeks we've battled over everything under the sun...pencils, erasers, noise level, books, charts, snacks, you name it we've "discussed" it. As I've learned it's a battle of wills...mostly seeing if I will give in. The answer more often than not is no. 

Don't they know me by now?

Yes, we've even tried to get Mal into childcare more days only to find out we actually had to send her less than we'd planned. Volunteers are hard to come by around these parts for toddlers. I completely understand...I live with one.

I actually kind of (heavy on the "kind of") laughed when I heard they needed her not to come so much. The scenario would have been too perfect and ideal for her to go 5 days a week and for us to have the perfect schedule. As I've come to realize, this is just the way it's supposed to be right now. There's learning to be done outside the textbooks and worksheets.

Will we pass our final exam?

My goals have changed for this semester. If we survive (the outlook looks good today) I pray that my kids have seen the Lord help them and me through this season of life. I pray they're stronger, more flexible and able to conquer, with the Lord's help, more changes coming in their future. Are we ready?

With God's daily strength we're pushing our way through the ABC's and 123's. We're all learning to be flexible, adjust our attitude along the way and to persevere.

Summer is coming!