Home School Reflections: It's Okay to Start Over

Starting over has been on my mind lately.  When we began our new school year, I had a pretty good idea of the way wanted it to go.  I had created a schedule to guide me in, and in it I had made room for all of the subjects that I wanted the girls to learn this school year.  Well, the schedule is still semi-guiding us, but I have realized that not everything listed is a “must”. 

This past week has reminded that starting over is okay, and starting over many times might be necessary.  After we came off our first break, we didn’t follow the schedule that I created this summer instead I focused on doing things that I knew the girls would enjoy. We have incorporated a daily math problem solving time into our day which has found its way into being a part of our normal routine.  We have begun a new Grapevine Bible Study (aff) which we all enjoy.  Finding the delicate balance of the things that I considered a must and those things that can easily be looked at as enrichment can be a challenge because those enrichment items often turns into musts when I see the girls finding pleasure in those things..  This is the cause of us starting over and over again. 

Last week didn’t resemble that first week after our break instead it was a jumbled mess in my opinion.  I was trying to piece all the subjects back together plus incorporate the activities we had grown to enjoy over the previous weeks.  It's hard to do when making sure your school day doesn't run for ten hours.  Our schedule isn't rigid, but it is there to serve as a protection in some ways.  It keeps us diligent with the time we have dedicated to structured learning.  The girls didn't seem to mind the uncertainty of our days, but they did noticed the difference.  They were quick to share with Dad that we didn't do some of our regular learning together subjects. Although they noticed that changed,  I noticed they thrived when I pulled out new resources that they have never used, and when they were able to use prior knowledge in a new way.  The struggle with time limits is finding a way to fit the old and new routines together.

We are starting over again in our homeschool.  Next week, we will try out different ways to implement the subjects from our schedule along with the extras that cause a spark.  I have some ideas of the way I want to mesh them together, but I know it will take some time for us to find our groove because that is just the way it is when you start over. 

I am feeling peace about the changes that will take place in the next week and so on. Teaching the girls to adjust is one of the many reasons we are a homeschooling family. 

Homeschool Tip of the Week:

It’s okay to start over and over again.  Our initial plans do not always last for an entire school year, and a change might have to take place to make it all work together.  It’s okay to let go of curriculum that’s not a fit, and it’s okay to add curriculum that might make the homeschooling journey easier.  It’s okay to work through a curriculum for longer than one school year if needed. It’s okay to adjust to a new schedule if the old one is no longer working.  It’s okay to start over until you find the path which is right for your homeschool.

Have you had to start over this school year?