Discouraged & Burntout

[ladibugg]

I have been homeschooing for about 5 years now. The first 3 years were so great, we would enjoy the time together at home and the freedom to go places and really learn. Then, my Grandson came into our lives. He is living with us so now our day revolves around HIM . Im homeschooling 3 kids, we are very behind and I feel so guilty that Ive let them down. I want to find something they can use for Math on the computer, softwear of some kind so they cand do that on their own. Please , let me know if Im not the only one in this boat. sharon

[sevenkidsisgreat]

Sharon:

I think all of us have been at the place you are at a few times in our lives. My most challenging year was 2000-2001. We moved in July, I had baby #6 in Nov, my father had a stroke in Dec, spent lots of time at the hospital in Jan and Feb, my dad came home to our house for constant care in Mar, he passed away in and was buried in May. It was definitely a lost year. It was not a good year for homeschooling but I would never have traded the time we had with my dad and their grandfather for anything. Your grandson is the same situation. It just means that you have to change the way you were doing things and adapt. Life happens sometimes.

Maybe if you share some of your challenges we can give some ideas on how to overcome them. Just remember why you started homeschooling in the first place and hang onto that through this difficult time. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can make up for lost time during the good times. You are certainly, definitely not alone!!!

Cheryl

[StellarStory]

[mark_egp]

Don't "overdo" the schooling. Parents feel pressure to school from 8-3 because that's what the institutions do. All you need for grades 1-5 is teach them to read and read to them/with them. Also teach basic math. Keep an orderly home where they have chores, etc. so they start learning how to manage their time. By grade 6, they should be fairly self-directed and can teach themselves with a little (30 minutes) parental interaction each day. More details about our approach are on our family website:

http://www.everygoodpath.net/HowToStartHomeschooling (Elem)
http://www.everygoodpath.net/6thGrade (Middle School)
http://www.everygoodpath.net/7thGrade
http://www.everygoodpath.net/8thGrade

Hang in there! The best is yet to come...

[ladibugg]

Thank you for your help everyone. This is a great place to be! Good news today, My Grandson started using the potty yesterday, NO MORE DIAPERS Sharon in Texas

[Mark]