A Little Homeschool Truth From a Veteran Homeschool Mom

 Homeschool Truth From a Veteran Homeschool Mom

I sat at the kitchen table, pencil tapping my teacher’s guide impatiently.  Knowing that the reading lesson I was attempting to teach was only a fraction of the way finished and that we still had Math, History and Science to complete, this mama was getting antsy.

My son, full of life and joy was elaborately illustrating his every written response.  Yes, his letters were going ‘fishing’.  As the mom of 7 kids with dyslexia, the fact that he knew his letters and was able to write them was the hope that kept me going;  waiting quietly as he shared the silly story of ‘J’s fishing success.

And so here we are.  School has started and reality has set in.  Homeschooling sure looks different mid-summer while absolutely no school is being done and we’re casually reading colorful catalogues detailing curriculum that will practically teach your kids themselves.  Ah, yes, peaceful, sunny July afternoons spent at the beach with memories of crumby floors and crabby attitudes far behind.

Sitting here across from my joyful – yet painfully slow – second grader caused me to dig deep into my reserves of homeschool truth to bring myself to remain calm and committed.

Here is some homeschool truth for you, Mama.

Slow and steady does in fact win the race.  A little learning every day adds up to a lot of learning over time.  Your faithfulness to do what you can will be rewarded.  Do what you can, do it well and don’t fret about what didn’t get done.

I know that for me as the productive type, I like to get stuff done.  I like to check off the boxes so I can coast for a bit.

Get child reading – check.

Instill a Biblical worldview – check.

As if these things don’t take years of daily instruction, testing and trying to really do well.

I am teaching myself to let go of the notion of finishing.  Not only is the notion that I can finish parenting, schooling, or cleaning and then coast for some extended period of time absurd as a mom of 8, it is flawed for several reasons.

My work as a wife and mother will never be finished (and likely, at least for some time, my home will never be entirely clean).  Jesus calls me to be about the business of blessing others with my talents.  If not my family, as it is now with my full house, then for others in need.  God has blessed me with gifts so that I can give them away to others.  That is not something that ends when the kids turn 18 and are finally independent or when I turn 65 and can officially retire.

Just as God has stripped me from worshiping many of my previous homeschool idols; having well-behaved kids (at the expense of having clean hearts) or of owning the best curriculum or of volunteering for every important looking job or of having kids get into the ‘best’ colleges;  God is stripping me from the idol of finishing it all so I can rest.

Lord, when will I ever just stop thinking so much of me?!

Please, don’t get me wrong, there is much gain in finding balance in your days.

However, I am learning to enjoy (and at times patiently endure) my days however they unfold.  When the phonics lesson is over and my young guy heads outside to fashion himself a fishing rod, math lessons can wait.  My list of homeschool tasks can wait because life and school is so much more.

Slow down and enjoy the moments.  Believe me, silly fishing stories during phonics instruction, though somewhat painful for busy homeschool moms, will be preferable to the seriousness of the day that you are helping that same boy as a high schooler to analyze expressions of love found in Shakespeare.

Take it from me, if your day is waxing long and the to-do list is largely untouched, it will be okay.  Do what you can, do it well, and trust the Lord to take care of the rest.

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About Marianne Sunderland

Marianne Sunderland has been married to her husband, Laurence, since 1991. She is a homeschooling mother of eight lively children ages 3 to 22. Marianne is passionate about encouraging families to discover and nurture their children’s God-given gifts and talents, in and outside of the classroom. She also encourages women to joyfully love and serve their families. Her varied experiences homeschooling through difficult times and with kids who learn differently has taught her much about learning how to trust fully in God for her family and homeschool. Marianne’s blog, Abundant Life, provides weekly articles on faith, family and homeschooling that will bless and encourage you.

13 thoughts on “A Little Homeschool Truth From a Veteran Homeschool Mom

  1. A Mama's Story

    Loved this!! Sometimes I get so caught up in checking off the boxes that I don’t slow down to savor the moment. Thanks for sharing your heart. I’ll share this post with my readers today, too.

    Reply
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  3. Deidre

    Oh how I need to do this. I have been feeling overwhelmed lately. I only have 4 kids, ages 9,7,3 and 5 months and only 2 are doing school right now. I try to work with the 3 year old as much as I can.
    I have been reading stuff like this lately. I have been trying to be better. But I do have many people judging me in my life. I know I shouldn’t care but it’s my husband, and it’s his mom (who helps out a lot). My home is not perfect it’s a mess all the time. Anyway trying to be better is what I am trying to say!

    Reply
  4. Noelle

    Thank you for that much needed message today as I sit in a huge mess, started late, half done!!! I am so thankful my kids are so flexible, loving and patient with their mom!

    Reply
  5. Brenda

    Thank you so much for this post! I have been feeling so overwhelmed lately and this made me feel so much better. I am cyber schooling my 3 sons ages 7,11 and 15. I know it is not completely homeschooling but I am slowly transitioning to complete homeschooling. My husband is not completely on board with the idea yet. Mainly because of his mother is totally against cyber and homeschooling and she has moved in next door. She is always making nasty cracks about my pulling the boys from public school. The sad thing is they are all doing way better than they ever did in public school. Our sons are now so much more fun loving and even eager to learn. My youngest even asks to work on school extra every day. He is now reading almost at a third grade level and when he left school last year he could barely read at a first grade level. So I do know I am making the right choices but the last few weeks I was having doubts. Your post made me realize that even though we are only making little steps at the moment it will lead to bigger things in the end. Thank you for the reminder.

    Reply
  6. Laura

    Marianne,
    What intrigued me about your post was your passing comment about having 7 kids with dyslexia. You win! I have 4 kids with dyslexia: 17,19,21,23 now. We homeschooled for about 8 years and each of my kids did Orton-Gillingham dyslexia tutoring for 6-8 years a piece.
    I am an OG tutor myself now. I am curious what you have found effective in teaching your kids reading, math and other subjects. Have you used All About Reading and All About Spelling? Bless you and keep on pressing on! Two of my kids are engineering students and our most dyslexic won a full tuition scholarship to a Christian university-pretty crazy! God is faithful!

    Reply
  7. Carol

    “Homeschooling sure looks different mid-summer while absolutely no school is being done” – oh, isn’t that the absolute truth! It is my current goal to not panic at what isn’t being completed, but bask in the glory of what is! God is good!

    Reply
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  9. Robin Russell

    I too often wonder how things will all get done, especially during the weeks were every chore and homework is a struggle. Thank you for the encouragement of what is really important!

    Reply

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