A new year is upon us. We’ve survived the homeschool year so far with the first half of the school year under our belt. We’ve enjoyed the holidays and for the most part recuperated from the daily grind. There’s just one problem—how are we going to push through the second half of the school year. It’s not so much a matter of doing it, but doing it with the same vigor, drive, and momentum we had when the school year first began.
The enthusiasm for homeschool starts with you, homeschool mama, but maybe you’re struggling with motivation to begin anew. Maybe the first half of the school year took a lot out of you and you’re still tired, even after the holiday break. Maybe you’re fuzzy on how to approach the second half of the school year because your carefully laid plans went horribly askew. Now you’re second-guessing whether you can finish strong. Maybe you’re second-guessing whether or not you’re cut out to homeschool.
In his book, My One Word, Pastor and author Mike Ashcraft came up with this snazzy idea of axing the notion of setting New Year’s Resolutions and instead shifting your focus to one area of improvement. Instead of setting a bunch of resolutions that you may or may not keep, you choose one word that serves as a kind of theme or encapsulates an overarching goal you desire to work on. The cool thing about one word is that you don’t have to choose it at the beginning of the school year! Perhaps the best time to choose one word is when you find yourself in the middle of the school year needing motivation to push forward. Choosing one word is somewhat like a simplified mission statement that provides focus and a lens through which to evaluate progress.
Having one word has been a motto that has helped me to maintain focus when I find myself running on fumes at different points during the homeschool year. It has also helped me to look back to see how we’ve grown with homeschooling and look forward in anticipation of what we can accomplish in the future. Here are the “one word(s)” I’ve chosen since we began our homeschool journey.
Year One: Baseline
I considered the first year I homeschooled a baseline year. I wanted to get the basic mechanics of homeschooling down. What was our routine going to be? Under what conditions did my kids learn best? What was their stamina like during a school day? How was I going to juggle lessons for four children at different ages? I had a million little questions, observations, and adjustments I needed to make. Getting used to having my kids around ALL the time. Learning what habits worked best for us and what didn’t. How to keep my little ones engaged while I worked with the older ones. Helping the older ones transition to more independent learning.
I treated our first year like the control variable in an experiment, which meant I didn’t add anything fancy like homeschool co-ops, a ton of extracurricular activities, or even field trips. I learned a ton about myself as a parent and teacher as well as my kids. Our first year of homeschool brought us closer together as a family and showed us that our leap of faith was not in vain.
Year Two: Socialization
“What about socialization?” A commonly held misconception about homeschoolers is that they get little to no social interaction with other kids their own age simply because they don’t attend public school. Although we kept things simple and frill-free our first year of homeschool, my kids still had friends and interacted with kids their age at the park, the library, and the church. They had socialization. What was missing was socialization with other homeschoolers. In a previous post, Five Reasons To Consider Joining A Homeschool Co-op, I lay out some of the wonderful benefits to be gained from participating in a local homeschool co-op. Interacting on a consistent basis with other homeschooling families was just what we needed to spice up our homeschool year. Additionally, participation in a recreational soccer league was the icing on the cake to a more balanced lifestyle.
Year Three: Consistent
I finally felt like we hit our stride. We had a good schedule down. I was satisfied (for the most part) with curriculum choices. We had the right blend of extracurricular activities and involvement. The year was all about being consistent with school. Finishing what we start. Plowing through the occasional bouts of burnout. Setting goals and reaching them.
Year Four: Focus
This year was all about being focused, which meant we had to cut out a lot of things that distracted us from really focusing on studies. My oldest daughter was set to start high school the following year and I needed a break from homeschooling during the summer. I wanted to use the summer to lay out high school plans and to rest. That means the spring was a critical time to maintain a consistent schedule. We had to trim our schedule of activities that encroached upon instructional time, yet still maintain a healthy balance of fun activities. Unfortunately, that meant stepping away from our homeschool co-op for a season. You have to Know When to Say Goodbye to A Homeschool Co-op and be okay with your decision.
Fast Forward to Year Seven: Serve
Using one word to define our homeschool year has been beneficial in giving shape and definition to all the many goals and desires I have for us. Each year we have been able to build upon the things we’ve incorporated into our homeschool. As my children get older I want them to learn how to serve others in their community. I want them to see firsthand how the talents God has given them can be a blessing to others and bring glory to him.
What is your word for this homeschool year?
