Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Homeschool Style: Sticking to it!

Story break.....


A friend of mine...when I say friend, we saw eachother at art class and often chatted about homeschooling...so maybe I should say an acquaintance....anyway, 



she was a lot like me in her homeschooling style. Calm. Cool. Relaxed. Lots of good books. Picked a math curriculum and just went with it. You know the type. We don't do many crafts and we're part of a community so we don't have to do science projects at home! 



Then, a new girl moved to town.


Complete. Opposite. (which is ok and wonderful!)



She was crafty. She had an awesome homeschool room. She always had things planned to the minute. Complete with all the latest and greatest curriculums money could buy and all the fun stuff to go with it! I even found myself being envious over her. But my friend jumped right in. Had an addition built on to her house. Changed all her curriculum. Slowly our conversations were less and less because she was spending all her free time planning her next big idea. It wasn't long before her and her children were in tears and burnt out! 



If your style is like this new friend's with the craftiness and the planning that's AWESOME and wonderful and I say do it heartily as unto the Lord! If this is you, let me add that you're doing an awesome job and many of us wish (in ways) that we could be more like you!



But if it's not, I want to encourage you! It's okay! Do what works best for you and your family! Don't worry about what everyone else is doing!  Find your style and stick to it!



In this social media world, it is easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing. How cute their homeschool rooms look. How pretty their crafts look. How clean their homes look. Etc. But that's just it....they just look that way!  They have bad days/weeks/months/years too! Don't let the pretty pictures talk you into trying to be something/someone you're not!


We homeschool all over the house.

My kid's rooms are usually a mess.

I have a daughter who is particular.

I have a son who struggles to read.

I have another soon who has a bad temper.

We're working on it! 

Things take time!



Then sometimes you find this.....


And This.....



(literally while I was typing this post :)  )


And you have a "I must be doing something right" moment!



So... how do you find your style?


You can google home school teaching style quiz and take a few of those.


You can mimic someone who is a lot like you and see how that goes.

Or...... My Favorite.....

You can pray and ask God to show you some things that line up with what He would have your homeschool to be! 


Some people are naturally structured... some are not!


Some children are naturally structured... some are not!
(isn't it amazing how those kiddos can have the same genes and be so different!?!?!)


Some people like everything laid out for them... some people like to lay things out themselves!


Some people are simple...some people are complex...some are compound complex!


But, we're all God's creatures great and small! We're all called into this amazing journey of homeschooling! Don't let people influence you in a negative way!


So... get a a piece of paper and write you're school name at the top. Divide it in 2 sections...1)We Do and 2) We Don't. As the good Lord speaks to you about your homeschool and you learn through trial and error, write it down! Every time you entertain the idea of trying something different or new, look back at this list and see if it fits!



What's your style?

Have you ever tried something that didn't work well for your family?

What's your take on the outcome?










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