imperfection

This morning I had a heart-to-heart with one of my girls about math that ended in tears. Math has never been my strong suit. As a homeschool family for all these years, with all these kids, I'm sure some people have lofty ideas about a what a day in our lives must be like. Let me just bust that myth right now. I'm not great at it. I have never been great at doing all of it. Some years I'm great at the planning, and we have all our books by August 1. Other years I'm really good at the riches, and we memorize Shakespeare and draw our own renditions of timeless works of art. Some years I'm heavy on history, and other years I'm killing it in science. Whatever else we do, each morning we start with Jesus, and then we do a lot of reading and talking and writing, then math. When the world is normal, we go to the library on Tuesdays. In the afternoons, we spend an hour in our own room reading. I do the best I can with what I have to offer and pray that God will help me catch things that fall through the cracks. This morning it was math.

A close friend once said to me, "Public schooling is a mile wide and an inch deep.  home schooling is an inch wide and a mile deep." In my experience, I have found that to be true. One of the hard parts is the constant concern  that I’m not doing enough. Sometimes people quiz my kids to see if they are getting a good education from their old mom. That kind of scrutiny can be crushing, for them and me. I spent too many years second-guessing myself to also have to prepare my kids for spontaneous American history quizzes from strangers. I don’t worry over it much anymore. Experience has landed me on level ground with a healthy dose of acceptance. Here are a few things that I've learned along the way.

1.  Routine. Routine. Routine. Predictability         saves a lot of aggravation.

2.  Reading is a developmental skill that clicks when the brain is ready. Don't push.

3.  Doing more isn't necessarily better. 

4.  If they can't answer the question, they don't know the answer yet. Teach it again.

5.  If you are frustrated, stop for now.

6.  Shaming does not promote learning.

7.  Don't take yourself too seriously. Kids need a lot of grace to wiggle and make weird noises and be awkward. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

8. If you love what you are doing, they will at least tolerate it more peaceably. If you are miserable, everyone else will be too. 

9. Read exciting books and have good snacks.