No matter how organized a mom you are; no matter how detailed your scheduling or how meticulous your record-keeping; no matter how much forethought and preparation you put into it your homeschool, there will be days, and maybe even weeks, when chaos seems to reign supreme.
We just can’t plan for everything. Life happens, with or without our permission, and it has a way of throwing some mean curve-balls into our best-laid plans.Now I can allow the surprises of life to throw me for a total loop, or I can learn to adjust and go on, keeping in mind that…
- Chaotic days, and sometimes WEEKS, are par for the course. They will come.
I can’t really plan for a fender-bender or for sick kids or for the unexpected demise of my hot water heater, but I can go into homeschooling with full knowledge that things are going to mess up my plans. I don’t have to like it, but I do have to accept it and not beat myself up over the homeschooling days that are less than picture-perfect.
- I need to leave some wiggle-room in my scheduling and lesson planning, just for the unexpected.
Some homeschooling moms thrive on strict schedules and scrupulous planning. I am soooo not one of them. Fill out my lesson planner MONTHS in advance? Are you kidding me?
The main reason I’m not into strict scheduling is that I kept running into real life and I was left frustrated and discouraged every time my schedule was thrown off. Making plans on the short-term, always recognizing that there will be interruptions, has helped me tremendously.
And I think even the most meticulous schedule-keepers will tell you the key to doing so successfully is leaving open a little room here and there for the unexpected.And don’t forget to fill out those lesson plans in PENCIL!
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| Part of MY chaos for the week? Chickenpox! Didn’t see that comin’… |
- My child’s learning won’t be stunted by a few chaotic days. Really.
Honestly, a few times I’ve been baffled at the irrationality of my own fears.Public schools, actually traditional schools in general are, when you really think about it, chock-full of chaos and drama: Fights. Meltdowns. Accidents.
Sicknesses. Social crises of various nature. And yet few
people seem to view any of these distractions as potentially threatening
to the whole educational process. Add to it that so many school-sponsored activities
conducted during school time have little to do with actual education–pep
rallies, homecoming activities, spirit celebrations, etc., and yet
virtually no one fears their child’s learning is being stunted by all the
distractions.
Sicknesses. Social crises of various nature. And yet few
people seem to view any of these distractions as potentially threatening
to the whole educational process. Add to it that so many school-sponsored activities
conducted during school time have little to do with actual education–pep
rallies, homecoming activities, spirit celebrations, etc., and yet
virtually no one fears their child’s learning is being stunted by all the
distractions.
It’s pure chaos, just defined by an orderly system of bells.
True, most homeschoolers hardly look to the public school system as the model for quality education, but I still wonder sometimes why I find myself worrying my kids are going to fall hopelessly behind because we have a week when things in our homeschool don’t go according to plans.
They will be okay. I’m convinced kids have the opportunity to learn more on a poor homeschooling day than they could ever learn on a good public school day.
- Tomorrow will be better. Or maybe the next day…
Bad days happen. It’s the nature of our world. But if I can keep my chin up and be determined that tomorrow will be a better day, (or maybe next week a better week,) it can help me so much to stay focused on what matters most, and to keep plodding on in our homeschooling journey. Tomorrow is a new day! Tomorrow we can try again. Tomorrow always has the potential to be better than today.
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So how do you stay encouraged on those chaotic homeschooling days?
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I could see how chicken pox could get a little complicated! Would love to invite you over to share at our link party that just started http://mommyondemand.com/weekend-retreat-party-58 See you soon!
Thank you for the invitation. And thank you for reading!
"It's pure chaos, just defined by an orderly system of bells" – I think this is probably the BEST definition I have ever seen of the public school system. And I'm a former school teacher! LOL. I love it!
I'm totally like you. There is no way I could write my lesson plans way in advance. We literally take a week at a time.
And chickpox! Yuck!! Poor baby!
Perhaps if our homeschools operated on a bell system we wouldn't beat ourselves up so much for those chaotic days. (Not that I'm about to try it! ;)) The chaos is frustrating at times, and chickenpox is HORRID, but we're doing our best to take it all in stride. It seems my kids learn very well in spite of all the chaos!
Thanks for stopping by today, Tina!
Thank you so much for posting this! This is my first year homeschooling and while so far the year has gone sooooo smoothly, this week has definitely been one of chaos and confusion. Reading your advice not to let it get me down and not to let it make me feel like our school week had to "measure up" to our more normal weeks was very encouraging to me. Thanks!
The chaotic times will come. (And they usually come after I've had a couple of good, smooth weeks that have deceived me into thinking I have it all together! God has such a sense of humor. ;)) But learning to take the chaos in stride is ESSENTIAL! I grow very discouraged very fast when I find myself focusing on all the things that seem to be making our homeschool less-than-perfect.
Delighted you stopped by here today, Jenni! I hope the remainder of your homeschool year is blessed with as little chaos as possible!
Having a regular schedule and a flexible attitude helps but it doesn't defeat the chaos! When we have one of those days/weeks, I am so grateful for the freedom of home school!
Me, too, Helene! Sometimes you just "go with the flow" the best you can until things get back on track. And that's fine! The learning doesn't stop just because a little chaos gets thrown into the process.
Great perspective Tanya! I have so many of 'those' homeschooling days as well…I guess, it's pretty par for the course 🙂
I wish I'd gone into homeschooling expecting more of "those" homeschooling days! But I have certainly learned. And I've come to realize, too, that kids are very resilient and, so long as our focus is right, they'll keep learning no matter whether things are perfect or not.
Thanks for reading, Rachael!
There are certainly seasons of homeschooling during the year. Some weeks it's smooth sailing and other times it's stormy seas. This year I planned to 'end' our school year at the end of May but to tie up loose ends by the end of June. It gives us a month of give for those chaos days and weeks.
Chicken Pox! I hope your son is well soon.
I think "seasons of homeschooling" is a very good way to look at it, Sara. Some seasons seem smoother and easier than others, but all can be effective times of learning!
So glad you stopped by today!
This is a great thing to address – so much of life is not in our control….and how we handle those unpleasant "surprises" also teaches our children how to handle real life. Thank you for posting this. Gentle Joy
So true! Whether we like it or not, our kids probably learn more valuable lessons from the chaotic times than they ever learn in the smooth and perfect times. We're teaching them lessons just in how we react to our circumstances.
Thank you for reading!
This is a very realistic and sane post.
I've never been able to plan months ahead either.
Blessings,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Every family is different of course, but I definitely learned flexibility is KEY. Thank you for readiing, Laura!
"Tomorrow always has the potential to be better than today." I LOVE this quote. Amen!
I remember some of those chaotic homeschool days when life shows up and intervenes and suddenly your day goes out the window.
Once my mom and grandma got really sick at the same time and both wound up in the same hospital, on the same floor. My mom was REALLY sick and nearly died.
My husband just happened to be home that week. I handed him the homeschool books and the written schedule and ran to join my siblings at the hospital. His eyes got real big and he looked like a deer in the headlights, lol!
But I just didn't want to get behind in homeschooling because I knew that we might need to take some time off later.
There were a few times my kids did their schoolwork in the car or in the doctor's office during those years. And years later (the week my dad died) we didn't do any school at all! thanks for linking up to Making Your Home Sing Monday.
Obviously you know exactly what it's like to deal with chaos in your homeschool! I'm so sorry for the things you've dealt with with your parents. As my own parents age, I find myself looking ahead and wondering if that may be an issue for us in the very near future as well. It can be a scary prospect, but I'm sure we'll find some way to make it work!
It's been pretty amazing to me the way you CAN make things work, even if the circumstances are less-than-ideal. We've done that, too….schooling in the van on the road or changing up our schedule to do school at odd times or on odd days. And while it's never been exactly the way I wanted it to be, if you really want to make it work, it can!
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment today!