home school.

Can you believe it’s November?

We’re closing in our our fall semester of school and I’m feeling a little anxious to get through the school work we need to before my first semester report is due in the beginning of December. This is my first year of reporting for homeschooling. In the state of South Carolina starting in first grade, we’re required to be registered with a homeschooling accountability organization. We have to complete 180 days of school in a year. And I have to keep records of the work we complete.

At the beginning of this year that felt a little overwhelming, coupled with the fact that I’m homeschooling two grades this year. A month or so in I realized I needed to make a big shift in my expectations for what my week would look like. I was trying to sustain my normal pace of meeting with friends and activities with the kids and squeeze school in where I could.

Now I’ve readjusted our weekly schedule. I’ve realized that if I’m going to make homeschooling work, I have to view it as my job. It is my job. So I’ve backed way off of weekly activities so that the kids and I are home for the stretches of time it takes to get school work done. In the end it still doesn’t take very many hours as long as they are focused, intentional hours.

The long and short of it is, it’s not always easy, but I love homeschooling this year. I love it more than last year. Yes, it’s my job, but it’s a good job.

Judah has a guidance counselor with our accountability organization, SCAIHS, and I was able to meet with her this summer and tell her some of our struggles from last year, some of Judah’s strengths and weaknesses. She was amazingly helpful in coming up with a curriculum that better suits his learning style. Interactive, hands-on, drawing from his interests.

Judah enjoys school so much more this year. Yes we have our moments, but I can see his confidence growing daily. He started reading a chapter book last month which was a huge breakthrough for him since reading has not come quickly. He now gets to do an online math game after we finish our math lesson which is a big motivator for him. He has a pretty incredible memory for details and is soaking up U.S. geography like a sponge.

Amelie loves kindergarten and would do it all day I think. She’s starting to read and enjoys writing. I can tell she’s picking up so much just being in the room while I’m working with Judah.

My biggest challenge is giving them each focused time throughout the morning, especially with Judah since Amie struggles a little more to play by herself. I’ve learned to do several subjects with the two of them together and will write more about that later, but I’m still trying to figure out how to not be distracted when we’re working one-on-one.

Mostly right now I just feel grateful. I love this season at home with my kids, learning with them and watching them master new skills. I love the little community God’s given us, friends to take field trips with and meet with weekly at our co-op. I love the flexibility our family has right now to be together on David’s day off and to head to Asheville for a couple of days if we want.

There are days I want to pull my hair out, but what parent doesn’t have those days? I want to accept that parenting is hard no matter what, but it’s also full of gifts. Right now I’m enjoying the gift of school at home.