I am doing a big house overhaul and working out my personal organization/productivity. In January I decided that instead of doing big yearly resolutions (which are always scary), I would make quarterly goals, revisiting and revising at the end of each quarter. July is the beginning of the third quarter. The last month or so has been less than productive, so I am looking into ways to flexibly plan my day so things get done. The other thing that has marked my life this week is an abundance of frustration with Zippy. I feel like I am at the end of my patience, to the point that we are thinking about school next year. Zippy really wants to go back and apparently has been telling everyone this for some time. I am in constant prayer over this, I feel so torn. We are taking a two week vacation from homeschooling, hopefully that will give some clarity.
Places We are Going:
We are on the bikes going everywhere. Everyone is enjoying these family outings. The Little Dude is always bringing me the bike helmets to tell me that he wants to go for a ride.
I am Grateful For:
As frustrated I am with Zippy I am so grateful that there are several choices, we are not trapped into any one situation.
A Homeschool Question:
I'm sure you saw this coming, but...
When is the time to quit homeschooling? Is there a time to quit?
A Picture:
{linked up to: The Homeschool Chick and Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers }
Reading how you guys ended up homeschooling, Zippy was pretty miserable going to school. Maybe ask her why? What it is about school that she wants? I will pray you guys get clarity for her education.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely sit down with Zippy and talk to her about school. Perhaps alone at her favorite restaurant for lunch? Bring a notepad. (It shows you're really interested in her thoughts by writing them down.) Explain your concerns about school with her (without lecturing) and ask what SHE THINKS needs to be changed or added. (Be totally open and ask questions to clarify as she shares, but don't critique.) She's old enough to have some opinions and sometimes they're AWESOME! My kids have shared ideas that have really improved our schooling experience! Her concerns with homeschooling may be simple! But if you find that she ABSOLUTELY wants to go back to school then perhaps it's time to discuss it fully as a family and explore her wants/needs.
ReplyDeleteI am not answering from personal experience as my children have never been to school and my youngest is just now in Kindergarten/1st grade. From life experience, 5th grade is a hard age no matter where you go to school. I would revisit why you chose to homeschool in the first place. Have they improved/changed/gotten worse? 5th graders need consistency as much as they pretend to want change. Its one of our times in life where we kind of regress to being 2 again, we want to test the boundaries of life and see where we fit in. I pray you can figure out what is best for your family. God will lead you to the right decision!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for your words of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteWhen we started homeschooling, I said i would re-evaluate it each year for each child and it needed to be a positive experience for them and for me for each year we continued. My husband, being an AF brat who had to move schools/grades when it was not fun (moving in the middle of high school, for example)...said he would want changes to come when there would be other new kids there as well...like at the grade/middle school break or jr high...when the school would be "new" for all the kids coming in. lastly, on the days i feel "maybe they would be happier at public school"...I remind myself that if God is on my side, and if he had planted this seed in my heart to homeschool, then i will trust in that and therefore the kids will have to trust in me that i am doing what i know to be best for them and that might mean homeschooling when they are asking to go to school. I wil also say that everytime my daughter presses to go to school, what she is REALLY wanting is a playdate. Good luck :-) stopping by from HMJ.
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