This is one of those posts - you know, the one where I try to make myself feel better by encouraging y'all. Because, homeschooling is hard. It's hard when...
1.) You have multiple children in multiple grades with multiple learning styles. Yep, that's us! I have a 7th grader, 5th grade, 2nd grader, Kindergarten, and a 3 year old who begs for schoolwork. Some of them are visual learners, some are hands-on learners, some show signs of dyslexia and other issues...you get the picture. Trying to find the "perfect" curriculum for each of these children {without breaking the bank} is not easy. I feel like I'm on a never-ending quest for that "perfect" program. I'm constantly looking at samples online, browsing different websites, researching new programs...it's not easy.
2.) You have zero homeschooling friends. Yep - us again. I do not know anyone that actively homeschools their children {other than you wonderful bloggy friends}. My sister homeschooled her kids for a few years, but last year she put them in school and hasn't looked back! There is no one in real life that I can talk to about homeschooling, no one that truly understands or is struggling with the same things I struggle with.
3.) You travel all the time. My husband's job takes us to many different states each year. He is a pipeline foreman, and his jobs last anywhere from 2 months to 8 or 9 months long. When a job is completed, we usually go home for a weeks, and then it's off to another job, another state. While this is a good experience for our family {in some ways}, it's hard. It's hard to get used to a new area and find all the things we need just to be uprooted and moved back home or somewhere different.
Homeschooling is hard. And some days are harder than others.
((((hugs)))) dear friend. I'm so sorry. I can relate to some of what you are sharing and it is sometimes a lonely journey. Look deep into the eyes of those precious gifts (your children) and know that every single bit of HARD is worth it all.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever looked into My Father's World curriculum? It offers family integrated learning and with a Charlotte Mason flair that I am so ready to go back to :) It also is so flexible to allow for those extra little rabbit trails to do other units and even row books with Five in a Row.
Maybe one of these business adventures will take you out my way :)
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement! I have looked at MFW, but so hesitant to try something new! Have you used it? Do you love it? I would love to have a job close to you!
DeleteHi Megan, I've emailed you so I don't write a book in your comments section :)
DeleteThank you for this honest post. Unfortunately I do not have any advice, though I do share some of those same feelings. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteAw, that's so tough. True; all of it. Homeschooling is hard and even harder when you don't have anyone in real life to talk to about it. I have given up on finding the perfect curriculum; I have realized it just does not exist. Hope it gets better and just keep on remembering Why you chose homeschooling to begin with.
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