This week I am going to talk to you about the 5 Essentials
of Homeschooling. Instead of writing about my favorite brand of #2 pencil and
math curriculum, I want to talk to you about what I consider to be truly Heart
issues. Of course, these issues are what I have found to be true in my own experience. They might be
different for you. My topics for the week are Discipline (the self kind, not
the a timeout…though you might need one), Flexibility (and if you can put your
leg over your head I don’t want to hear about it), Creativity (you might be
able to borrow someone else’s), Teachability (believe it or not…you’re not done
learning) and Grace (I need it daily!).
My apologies to those who really wanted to know my thoughts on dry erase boards
(I like them) and co-ops (I am slightly afraid of them). Happy Reading!
Flexibility. It can come in many shapes and forms.
Here is a true story. Many moons ago, when I was a
little younger and cuter, I had a nasty car accident. It was so nasty I nearly
died. But I didn’t (as you can see). It did leave me with multiple orthopedic
issues which include over 20 pins and screws that hold much of my lower half
together. I had to learn to walk again and for the first several years, walking
was anything but easy. I kind of waddled like a penguin. I still kind of
waddle, but that is another story altogether.
I also fell, a lot. One bright sunny day I made my way out
of the church office. I am not sure where I was going, only that I was waiting
on my mom to follow. I believe I was going across the street to my husband’s
office (he was a youth pastor at the time). All of the sudden…out of nowhere…a
small hole sprang up, grabbed me about the ankle and flung me
to the ground!
Okay. So maybe I just tripped. I tripped hard. I found myself
sitting in the middle of the church lawn with my feet spread out in front of
me. And I couldn’t get up. Not by myself. So I sat. And waited for my mom. Cars
drove by. I waved and pretended I was picking yellow dandelions from the grass.
My mom must have got caught up on the church phone because I waited a long
time. I sat. I gazed at the soft clouds in the sky and contemplated the meaning
of life, my grocery list and if I was going to be the topic of conversation
down at the Shake Shack (Did you see that woman sitting in the church yard?)
When mom finally came out to discover me planted on lawn, she was flabbergasted
and very apologetic.
It was really okay. I had gotten a chance for a little
reflection and a nice rest. It was like having a picnic without the picnic
basket.
Not every story in my life ends as peacefully. Sometimes
I’ve railed against those who have disappointed me, cried, sent myself to bed,
and drowned my sorrows in a bag of Lays potato chips.
When I lost my first and only pregnancy after 10-years of infertility,
I had many bad days. I’m not suggesting that one must take life at it is without
emotion or thought of self.
The truth is, however, that we all have to bend…just a
little.
When we began our homeschooling journey, I had my suspicions
that Josiah was dyslexic. He just struggled. We worked through respectable
reading programs. I took him to a friend who had taught for 20 years for
tutoring. He made some progress, but he couldn’t seem to get past the very
early readers. He would forget concepts that he had seemingly mastered the week
before. It certainly made my own idea of a perfect homeschool setting
difficult. I had to rethink my grand plans.
Being Flexible doesn’t mean that you throw your plan to the
wind. It means that you are able to bend and move within that plan.
Homeschooling requires quite a bit of that.
Being Flexible means that you can take advantage of the
wonderful freedom this Homeschooling lifestyle…
1.
Josiah can have a wonderful, daily interaction
with his Dad who works 3:30pm to 1:30am 4 days a week.
2.
It means that he can follow his interests and
passions like meteorology and detective stories.
3.
Pajamas can be our school uniform (don’t judge
me until you’ve rocked a pair of fuzzy pants)
4.
When I’m ill or worn down we can read about the
vastness of the solar system or go on adventure with Tom Sawyer all from my
bed.
5.
We can spend hours at the library on a Tuesday
morning (not that I or anybody I know has ever done that …A-hem)
6.
Our snowdays are spent inside with our school
books. When the weather is 75 and sunny we are at the nature center.
7.
Grocery shopping on a Monday morning can also
pass for Math class.
So maybe you feel like you’ve fallen in the Flexibility
department. Maybe life has dealt you a blow that is hard to swallow. My first
suggestion is stop, Breathe and look around you. You are in a wonderful place.
You are able to pour into your children in such a significant and lasting way.
Remember, the miscarriage I spoke of? Just 1 month after
that devastating event, we received word of a young girl who was going to have
a baby. She wanted to give her baby to a family who needed him. That baby was
Josiah. I agonized…oh, how I agonized! What if she changed her mind (that had
happened to us)? What if we couldn’t come up with the money? My mom gave me
some wonderful advice and I pass it along to you. Truly experiencing the great
things in life might mean great sacrifices. I might have to risk my sanity, my heart…just
for the joy of becoming a mom. I have to bend. I have to adjust my
expectations. I have to take what comes…
Please stay tuned for more of my 5 Essentials of Homeschooling this week. You can find my post on Discipline (If you build it they will come...) here.
This post is part of Blog
featuring the Schoolhouse Review Crew. You can find some of these terrific Bloggers below. They are...
Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road
Heather @ Thrift Schooling
Joanie @ Simple Living Mama
Lisa @ Home to 4 Kiddos
Amy @ Homeschool Encouragement
Monique @ Living Life and Learning
Jenn @ Fresh Start Academy
Lori @ Special Connection Homeschool
You can find even more bloggers at the Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog all week long!
Come back tomorrow! I will be talking about Creativity.
I most definitely agree that flexibility is a must! I thought about listing it as one of my essentials. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt has helped me through a few crazy days (kind of). At least it has made them a little less crazy :<)
DeleteI just wrote about flexibility--but I didn't do it as beautifully as you did! Thank you for sharing this post...
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved your post. I can relate! Things never seem to happen the way I've planned it all in my head.
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