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Beat the home ed blue-bugs!!by Vanessa, Chrysalis Island Lately a lot of home ed mothers, new and old alike, have confessed that they are plagued by the home ed blues, loss of confidence or niggling doubts about what they're doing. It seems to be part of the learning process, leading to change in practice or perspective. Whilst many days look unimpressive to an outsider, home ed. success is best measured in monthly or termly summaries, when growth and change are more apparent. WE know our days are rich in learning and personal development, and some of it is easy to verbalise. But a lot of it is hard to convey in a brief chat. Store up handy anecdotes so that when the question is asked, you're primed to share the little victories that really matter. Our best efforts ARE enough. Our 'survival mode' efforts can usually still be offered in love, with patience and personalised attention. There may be circumstances which call for change, but generally, we ARE better equipped to nurture our children than the lucky-dip teacher our children may have at school (until the day parents can hand-pick each teacher, and guarantee that the best teacher is going to have a wonderful year, free of disasters and trials). To put a bad day, or season, in perspective, just look at how stressed your children are that you haven't had the energy to implement all your wonderful plans. Are they? If they're like mine ... not a care in the world! I'm fortunate to have had the energy to feed them most days, or direct them towards something they can prepare. They have a captive audience, time and ideas galore. They have enough toys and books to sink a ship (though a big cardboard box would trump them all)! My 'bad day' is their opportunity to shine. Hmm ... I'll have to think of a better reason to feel inadequate. Our kids WILL miss out on some things. There are many things we'll be grateful they missed. But they will also have opportunities that the kids in the pasture next door don't have (like TIME to pursue their interests). They WILL meet exceptional people, of all ages and various talents, and thankfully they'll have more freedom to enjoy special moments with peers and mentors, unhindered by bell times. True, there may be a better resource. There always will be. It may claim to teach something faster or more thoroughly or with more fun. There's no harm buying excellent resources. But what REALLY matters is the way we use what we have ... the very reason we chose to homeschool in the first place ... personalised, relationship based, flexible and responsive guidance. Don't get caught in the trap of spending more time planning, preparing and comparing than doing, playing, loving and being. There are many tools which help me defeat the little beasties with a good dose of positivity ... (mostly guaranteed to change the pace and mood of the day, if it's been a dull or doubtful one)
And here are a few of my favourite online remedies:
This HAS been a wordy post, sorry! I wrote it to help myself out of a pit. And thankfully it helped. If you've read to the end, I'd love to know what helps you fight off the homeschool blues. What's your favourite way to get back into the swing of things, to iron out the bugs and get on with the joyful business of raising happy seedlings? Reply by leaving a comment on my blog: Chrysalis Island.
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education in Australia. State and Territory governments are responsible for regulating home education and have different requirements, however home educating families are able to develop curriculum and learning programs to suit the individual needs of their children.
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Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network.
Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home.
In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and was a committee member for three years during which time she edited and produced the HEA Newsletter, Stepping Stones for Home Educators magazine, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications.
If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Homeschool Australia Facebook page.nor do they endorse or recommend products (other than their own) listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements.