Yesterday, Daniel was excited about school. Why? It was his last, official, day of school. It's funny because these last couple weeks we have only been focusing on math and reading and had long ago dropped all the other subjects. The idea of school being finished just thrilled him to no end. He was bouncing around as he finished up his math and gave only half his attention to the book we are reading. He was beside himself with excitement at the thought of no more school.
But, does school really end?
For me, it does not. After a year of experience as a homeschool mom, I have been evaluating myself (as principal and teacher, I must give myself annual evaluations). I have been looking at myself and the job I did last year. If I had to give myself a score from 1-10 on my job performance, I would likely give myself a 4 or a 5. I started out the school year strong....the excitement of the new adventure really pushed me along and I took the job before me very seriously. I had times of burn-out, though, where I just didn't want to do it anymore. I would find myself cutting corners at times...deciding to let some things slide by in the interest of getting done by lunch time. I started off very organized, but soon found myself getting overwhelmed by a lack of organization........I THRIVE on organization.
You might say I am being harsh on myself. But, I think getting down and dirty with yourself is good. I can look at what went wrong and come up with a plan to not let it happen again.
I know saying "what went wrong" is relative. Some might think what I felt went wrong as a still successful school year and I would agree...to a point. I think Daniel's first year of homeschooling/his first grade school year was a success. His reading and math skills are as sharp as ever...he studied more history and science than his public school counterparts. Comparatively, he is ahead of the curve. But, as any homeschool mom can tell you...I know my kid...I know his strengths and weaknesses...I know what he needs and what success looks like for him. This is the advantage to homeschooling. You tailor your child's education to their needs.
So, school is over for Daniel. He is happily oblivious of my inner struggles over this past school year. The school year is over for me too. I have evaluated myself. I have given myself a mental report of what worked and what didn't work. I am at a better place now than I was when I first started homeschooling my son. I have my mistakes to look at and learn from. So, while the school year is over, the job is not. Order is what is on tap for me this summer. I have already begun. Subject by subject, I am organizing the coming up school year. I am making a plan....I have calendars I am setting up. I am setting alerts on my phone for important events like supplies for certain projects...I am setting schedules. I am doing all the administrative stuff now during these 3 months so that when school starts on September 4th, I can concentrate solely on the job of teacher. I am also working through the best way to set up our classroom. Rearranging will be on tap for my husband over these next couple months...don't tell him, though. I'd rather he think that he is off from duty for a little while, at least.
I have no disillusions that there will be bumps along the way, but with a well organized plan in place, those bumps will be a lot less painful.
But, does school really end?
For me, it does not. After a year of experience as a homeschool mom, I have been evaluating myself (as principal and teacher, I must give myself annual evaluations). I have been looking at myself and the job I did last year. If I had to give myself a score from 1-10 on my job performance, I would likely give myself a 4 or a 5. I started out the school year strong....the excitement of the new adventure really pushed me along and I took the job before me very seriously. I had times of burn-out, though, where I just didn't want to do it anymore. I would find myself cutting corners at times...deciding to let some things slide by in the interest of getting done by lunch time. I started off very organized, but soon found myself getting overwhelmed by a lack of organization........I THRIVE on organization.
You might say I am being harsh on myself. But, I think getting down and dirty with yourself is good. I can look at what went wrong and come up with a plan to not let it happen again.
I know saying "what went wrong" is relative. Some might think what I felt went wrong as a still successful school year and I would agree...to a point. I think Daniel's first year of homeschooling/his first grade school year was a success. His reading and math skills are as sharp as ever...he studied more history and science than his public school counterparts. Comparatively, he is ahead of the curve. But, as any homeschool mom can tell you...I know my kid...I know his strengths and weaknesses...I know what he needs and what success looks like for him. This is the advantage to homeschooling. You tailor your child's education to their needs.
So, school is over for Daniel. He is happily oblivious of my inner struggles over this past school year. The school year is over for me too. I have evaluated myself. I have given myself a mental report of what worked and what didn't work. I am at a better place now than I was when I first started homeschooling my son. I have my mistakes to look at and learn from. So, while the school year is over, the job is not. Order is what is on tap for me this summer. I have already begun. Subject by subject, I am organizing the coming up school year. I am making a plan....I have calendars I am setting up. I am setting alerts on my phone for important events like supplies for certain projects...I am setting schedules. I am doing all the administrative stuff now during these 3 months so that when school starts on September 4th, I can concentrate solely on the job of teacher. I am also working through the best way to set up our classroom. Rearranging will be on tap for my husband over these next couple months...don't tell him, though. I'd rather he think that he is off from duty for a little while, at least.
I have no disillusions that there will be bumps along the way, but with a well organized plan in place, those bumps will be a lot less painful.
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