What do Panera Bread and my homeschool have in common?
(I mean besides hungry people who are constantly demanding food, tables that need to be cleaned dozens of times a day, and occupants who splash water on the bathroom mirrors.)
We both have used names to define things or activities to improve our establishments and our productivity.
Home sweet home…
The place we feel warm and cozy and free to be ourselves.
The place we live and laugh and love and create beautiful family memories.
The place where naked toddlers run through the middle of the lesson on the Byzantine Empire singing “I’m a Little Teapot” and throwing Cheerios in the air like confetti.
*sigh*
While there’s a lot to love about the freedom a home-based learning setting provides, there are definitely some unique challenges that homeschooling parents need to navigate. Many of these challenges stem from two fundamental characteristics of a homeschool.
Homeschools are often multi-AGE and multi-USE settings.
These two aspects can equate to high levels of distraction unless some thought is given to managing them well.
WARNING: Homeschooling may cause your schedule to look different than the rest of society. This can lead to serious side effects such as nasty glares from strangers, self-doubt, and upheaval of existing routines.
When you have the freedom to tailor your routines to the unique needs of your unique family, your schedule begins to look… well… unique.
In many ways, my family’s daily and weekly routines are backward from our non-homeschooling friends. And guess what?
THAT’S OKAY!
Homeschoolers are blessed with FREEDOM. But sometimes that much freedom can feel overwhelming. Even paralyzing. Especially when it comes to choosing curricula, how do you know where to start?
Besides the basics (you know…. pencils, paper, chocolate, etc.), I’ve found there are a handful of relatively inexpensive items that have made our school days go much more smoothly.
No, these supplies aren’t going to teach for you or do your laundry. But I do sometimes feel a little like super mom when my Meltdown Radar* goes off and I swoop down with a sheet of Hole Reinforcement Labels and save the day.
Necessity is the mother of invention, right?
Or, to say it another way, desperate homeschooling mothers sometimes balance a hose on a chair with a rake to occupy the toddler so the other kids can finish their science.
For some families, homeschooling has been the plan all along.
They’ve seen it work for friends or family. They knew they’d homeschool their future kids before they were even married. They’re totally comfortable swimming against the societal current. They understand the benefits and they welcome the challenge.
If that’s you, feel free to skip this post.
If, on the other hand, you’re more like the main character from Peg + Cat…
(that is, “TOTALLY FREAKING OUT!”)
…then read on, my frenzied friend, read on!
