 When you started homeschooling did you imagine hours of reading on the couch curled up with the little ones... laughing as you worked on art projects... having meaningful discussions as the kids got older? Have you realized that dream... or are you unfocused and out of control, wondering why you decided to homeschool in the first place?
Homeschooling moms often voice the difficulties they have in keeping their kids on task. But, what do you do when the kids aren't the problem... you are?
Can You Relate?
A homeschooling mother of 4, whom I'll call Carrie, recently said to me, "Why doesn't anyone else seem to have trouble staying on task? I can't even get through our daily lessons! I feel like I have a doable, workable schedule, but I just can't seem to discipline myself to stick to it. What's wrong with me? I get side-tracked all day long. Any little thing can distract me. I just can't seem to get back on track. Not only are we not getting our school work done, but other parts of our home life are affected. Without direction, my children are just sort of wandering around the house. They either waste time with video games or television, or they get surly with each other and fight."
Can you relate? Do you feel a little bit ridiculous? After all, you are a grown woman. I'll bet you feel that if this were one of your children or a friend, you would know what to tell them.
What Carrie needed was some practical tips on what helps moms get focused and stay focused when their homeschooling has gone off track.
Before we go any further, just know that you are NOT ridiculous. There is no one on earth who doesn't struggle with motivation at some point in their lives.
But knowing that you are not the only one isn't likely to make you feel a whole lot better. You need practical ideas on how to stay on task as you homeschool your children. Let's walk through some actions you can take to get control of your homeschooling workload. That way, you can feel joyful in your progress, instead of paralyzed with inaction.
Plan the Night Before.
I love the evening. After everyone has quieted down for the night, I have some time to relax, think back over the day, and do a little planning for tomorrow. This is the perfect time to make some plans that will free up the mornings for quality homeschool time.
I use a portion of that time to figure out what I will make for dinner the next day, as well as to check my calendar and make my to-do list. Other families plan out breakfast or assign chores the night before so that everyone knows what is expected of them in the morning. The time you save in the morning is well worth this 20 minutes of planning in the evening. You will also be blessedly free of that nagging feeling that you are forgetting something!
Start your homeschool day early.
I'll let you in on a little (not-so) secret. 'The early bird catches the worm' has retained its cliche significance precisely because... it works!! If you let the morning slip by, you will very likely lose energy and be distracted by other tasks.
Instead, get a big chunk of work done first thing in the morning. Not only will seeing results motivate you to keep going, you will also be teaching your children a valuable life lesson on the importance of getting an early start!
Do the 'together' work first.
Almost every veteran homeschooling mom I talk to recommends this. Why? Once the kids have scattered for the morning, bringing them all back around for group work can be challenging. Instead, work as a group directly after breakfast. Then allow them to do independent work. You get to keep everyone on track and set a positive tone for the day with them.
After group work, you can have a one-on-one tutoring session with each child. Go over the previous day's mistakes & give them any new instructions. Then, let them finish their independent work. This way, each child will finish at different times allowing you to check work as they finish. No one is left waiting around.
Make sure that you can find everything.
Organizing your homeschooling materials can have a huge impact on your motivation. Which scenario sounds better - a pristine table with neat stacks of the days schoolwork in their proper places, pencils sharpened and in the cup, each child's belongings in a designated place, the whiteboard setup and the dry erase markers where they should be...
OR
Would you prefer 10 days of ungraded work scattered all over the table (which incidentally also has breakfast crumbs still lingering on it), writing utensils have gone AWOL, the dry erase markers - capless and dried up, and the kids' work strewn throughout the house.
Tough choice, right?
Start by finding a place for everything. Follow up by making sure that everything is returned to its rightful place.
Split Subjects for Efficiency.
School subjects typically fall into two main categories; daily review and immersive. Daily review subjects like math, spelling, grammar or foreign language require consistent daily practice. These skills build on each other. The immersive subjects, such as history, science and art, do not require daily practice. They do, however, require a longer learning session and lots of extra 'stuff.'
Rework your week to schedule immersive subjects on alternating days. That way, when you have history, you only have to retrieve the maps, books, globe, etc. on certain days. The same goes for art (posters, books, supplies) or science (experiments, books, charts, and models.) A sample schedule would have history showing up on Monday and Wednesday, science on Tuesday and Thursday and art on Friday when everyone is looking forward to the weekend.
Anyone who has run an assembly line knows that setup and takedown eat up valuable time. The same applies to running a homeschool. Maximize the work you put in. Not only will you be more organized, but you'll start to really enjoy those stuff-intensive subjects.
Use Non-School Time Wisely.
Not every subject has to be done 8-4, Monday through Friday. Literature read-alouds make for terrific bedtime stories, as well as for a nice family time in the evening. Weekends don't have to be off-limits, either. If you are occasionally behind in a subject because of an activity, use some time on the weekend.
Take advantage of those off-times during the day. You can read the Bible during breakfast or listen to a book on tape during lunch.
In our family, Dad is a great back-up. If I didn't get something done during the week, he covers it with the kids in a fun way on the weekends. Especially fun science experiments and history creations are ready-made weekend fun!
Are you trying to do too much?
I like to call this Curriculum Junkie Syndrome. It is an exhilarating yet debilitating condition... and I have it big time. Symptoms include: looking up new curriculum just for fun, buying curriculum just to see what it's all about, and being the one person in your homeschool group who can give an in-depth review on almost any homeschooling product. My friend, Robin, and I fall into this category, and we laugh at ourselves often.
Watch out for the pitfalls though. Just because something looks doable on paper doesn't mean it is doable in real life. You may have to prune it a bit. Sometimes letting just one thing go is the difference between doable and not.
To avoid the pitfalls, create a core plan. Then, create a supplement to it that includes all of those little extras that make you salivate. You don't want to try to do so much you get nothing else done.
Make sure you are enlisting help.
Older children can help younger ones and learn good lessons on patience and responsibility in the process. All children can help with chores. Dad can be involved in a few homeschool subjects, as well. Activity-based lessons give you fun, quality, educational things to do instead of wasting life staring at the television. Build a castle while you study medieval history, bake a cake while you learn fractions, or go on a nature hike to find a monarch caterpillar. Shared experiences are terrific for family bonding.
Are You Struggling with Procrastination?
Procrastination is, at heart, a self-control issue. Do you keep doing 'just one more thing' in the morning before school? Is there something more fun (easier, better) that you would rather be doing? Moments like these demonstrate our humanity. Sometimes, we just don't feel like doing something.
The danger lies in whether your behavior is a occasional behavior or a frequent behavior. If we cave to our feelings enough times, the resulting behavior - in this case, procrastination - becomes ingrained in us. What happens then? You guessed it. It becomes a habit! Try giving yourself the opportunity to create new habits with baby steps so you can experience some victories.
Give yourself some down time!
You focus better when you are rested. You focus better when you are rested. One more time... you focus better when you are rested! As a homeschooler, you are in a certain season of life. Don't fight it; you'll only exhaust yourself.
Cut back the inessentials to make sure that you have the time and space to do the big stuff. Sleep, eat right, exercise, laugh! You need spiritual time and mental challenges. You have committed to caring for and teaching your family.
You may have to give up the big quilt project or your family tree research until you are in a less demanding season. Even volunteer commitments, whether they are in the community or even at church may not be appropriate or healthy for where you are right now. Try to list your true priorities... then eliminate whatever doesn't quite fit in this season.
Try It Out.
These techniques involve big change, and change can be overwhelming. Pre-empt this by approaching self-improvement methodically. Print this article out and work through the list. Pick one thing in how you approach homeschooling, then fix it. When you feel that you have mastered one technique consistently, move down the list and knock off the next piece that applies to you.
I won't lie; this is going to take work. After all, you are forming new habits. In spite of the effort, though, I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised by the results. Before you know it, you will see progress. You may even realize that you no longer feel like a roadblock to your children's home education. Instead, you will be what you have always wanted to be: an organized, enthusiastic, guiding light to their learning.
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