Homeschool is Behind! Help!

Why is my Homeschool behind?

Behind in Homeschool? Are you prepared in your homeschool for the unplanned events that so often face us? Do you feel behind? How do you prepare? Can you adapt? We homeschool!  We don’t get behind we adapt and learn daily!

Homeschooling and being organized does not mean you cannot be flexible. It actually allows you more flexibility.

Are you prepared? If you were suddenly faced with surgery where you were going to be out of commission for a while, would you have to cancel school too? This has happened to me. I had surgery which would not allow me to lift or move things over 5 lbs and required a lengthy recovery time. I was concerned about school; but I did not want to cancel, and my kids did not want to either. We cherished the summer break and did not want the “feel behind” feeling to make us feel the need to go through the summer, so we didn’t cancel school. It continued with the help of my mother, friends, and husband.

How do you prepare to not be behind?

Fortunately, I already had a system my children were used to using. I had a lesson planner and each child had a daily assignment notebook where I write or insert their assignments and special instructions on a normal basis. So while I was away having surgery, another homeschool mom or family member was able to help my children diligently follow my instructions and complete their school work. My friend only had to look at their assignment sheets to see what they needed to do.

This kept structure in my home instead of unneeded chaos and kept the children working instead of worrying. If we were not already accustomed to this structure and organization of assignments and able to scale work according to the day, then my children would have missed about 6 weeks of school.

Can you adapt when you feel behind?

Sure you can. You don’t have to assign a full load. Once I found out I was surgery bound, I sat down with the lesson planner and looked to see how many lessons my children had left in each subject. I knew my husband would take time off from work to care for me and the kids. I planned several History lessons that week cause I knew he would enjoy doing those with the children. Also, being the last quarter of the school year, the kids were about to finish several subjects early. Therefore, one child was able to skip Spelling and English for the week and the other Math and Writing, so they got a break. They didn’t really notice a whole lot because they know to do what is on the assignment sheet.

Let me clarify something here. Instruction of so many hours per day does not mean you must stand in front of your child and lecture them for that time period. That instruction comes from them reading their assignments and reading and doing what the workbook or textbook tells them to do. Then when it is graded, you can see where their understanding is and where they need further instruction. So when the teacher is out, if you have a good curriculum, it should be able to help you through those times. I don’t believe children can teach themselves, but I don’t believe school has to be halted everytime a crisis occurs either which in turn cause us to “feel behind.” Use your tools and resources that are available to help you organize your school now so that when you need help, others can follow your plans and keep the kids schooling on track. A word of caution, don’t expect your friends or family to teach for you. They can administer the homework you have assigned, but they are not your substitute teacher.  This is just a part of homeschooling.

Homeschooling is a way of life which does not get behind.

Each crisis we face is a part of our children’s education. They will learn more from those experiences than any textbook could offer them. Don’t feel guilty if you have to cancel book work for awhile. You are not behind. As long as you are daily teaching, training, and engaging with your children then they are learning. Think of adapting as a field trip and keep your kids involved in someway. If they are old enough, have them do research on the situation and write a paper. Have them help with chores, meals, and with siblings. These are all things they need to learn. Just don’t let things go, so that you suffer later in the year with a ton of book work still left to do.

I write from the heart and from experiences that I have faced. I like to cling to Philippians 4:13.

My husband and I have been consulting with Homeschool families for over 15 years sharing from our journey. Feel free to contact us anytime.

Now it is your turn. How do you adapt to life situations to keep from feeling behind?