"I don't know if I can do this."
"We are so behind that I don't know if it's possible to ever catch up."
"Why am I doing this? Maybe I was foolish for thinking I could homeschool a high schooler…"
Do any of these sound familiar to you? Have you ever heard one of these statements coming out of your mouth?
I was guilty of thinking a few of these things this past week. Biology has me reeling. Our co-op is moving so fast (due to fitting most of the labs into 20 weeks rather than 36) that we have not been able to stay on track. My teens have been torn. Up to this point, our strategy has been to read the chapter up to the scheduled experiment for that week's co-op labs so that they are at least familiar with what they will be doing in class. We try to get this reading in even though they have not taken the test for the previous module yet. This has meant that they are reading Module 4 and also trying to study for the Module 2 or 3 test.
Needless to say, this has not been working out very well for us, and I was feeling a bit discouraged. I was wondering if I was the only one in this predicament.
I called a friend who also has two teenagers in our biology labs class. I asked her how they were doing in biology. It poured out… Her children are behind, too. She was also feeling discouraged.
We shared our struggles. We shared how it's been working so far. We shared details about where each child is in the text.
We bore one another's burdens.
And we both felt lifted.
That was all that it took for both of us to feel encouraged. We spoke no spiritual words to one another. We just listened and freely shared our hearts with one another.
After my talk with my friend I was able to think about the situation without stress. I realized then why biology has felt so stressful. At least part of the issue is because of my philosophy of education. You see, we work toward mastery, taking as much time as we need to master a subject rather than working on a time schedule. It has become apparent that mixing my philosophy with a classroom schedule is like mixing water and oil. Yeah, they don't really mix.
It was then that I was finally able to hear God speak to me. He set a course for our homeschooling journey. His course is right for us, and I don't have to change that course because of someone else's biology lab schedule. We can still work toward mastery, taking the proper amount of time for each child, and He will take care of the rest.
It was just a little over six weeks ago that I finished writing my eBook about finding your vision for your homeschool. I wrote all about how I came to my philosophy of education and how God revealed His plan for our homeschool journey. I wrote about the specifics of how to set that vision into motion in your own homeschool. Yet I so easily forgot the path that God has walked me down. I so easily forgot my own words. I am so thankful that God reminds us of His words and sets us back on our path.
Isn't it beautiful how he uses others to encourage and remind us?
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as we see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24
Find a friend who is also homeschooling. It doesn't matter if that friend lives near you or if she is an online friend. We need one another. God will knit you together. Ask Hime to bring you just the right person.
Encourage one another. Bear one another's burdens. Share your stuggles. Share your joys.
The encouragement of a friend will help you along your journey.
It will make your journey richer.
HomeSchool High is sponsored by Apologia.
I hope you'll tell them a big "thank you"!
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Now it's your turn. What have you been doing this week with your high school teens?
Check out the Link-Up Guidelines, grab a button or banner for your post, and link up your post– old or new.
Be sure to visit some of the other ladies who have linked up! Leave them an encouraging word. Let's link arms, ladies! Spur one another on to the finish!
Yes, yes, yes, and amen!
Community has been the greatest boon to our homeschooling. Community sometimes looks like the co-op that is a bit overwhelming. Most often, it looks like a listening ear, an empathetic smile of encouragement, and a promise to hold me up in prayer over the long haul.
We all need each other.
Thanks for this great post, Connie!
Thanks, Sabrina! Finding others who are walking out the same lifestyle has been such an encouragement to me along the way~ sometimes when I don’t think I need it anymore. 😉
Thanks for linking up, girl!
I agree that Biology is going fast, too fast. I totally advocate going for mastery in my own homeschool and the labs are moving faster than the students can read. One of my friends said that doing the labs before getting to that point in the book is okay too. It will give them something to think back on when they read about it. I hope that is true because my teen’s reading will not be “up-to-date” with the labs anytime soon.
Hooray for fellow homeschooling mamas! Yes, two are stronger than one. Such wisdom in seeking out advice and encouragement. Thanks for hosting us high schoolers each week.
This is the first year in a long time that we decided to join up with a couple other families for a small homeschool group. It was a great decision. Even though some of the kids are younger and one of the other moms is very new to homeschooling, we all encourage each other. Thanks for hosting the link up.
Thank you! I just found this via Apologia (they are awesome …really helped me today!)
I have to keep coming back to why God called us to do this in the first place…and stay connected…
to God and other Godly homeschoolers!!
Have a blessed day!