12 secrets for the busy home student
Life is busy. We run from here to there. We quickly go over our lesson plans. We rush to finish another project with the children. We rush to bake cookies. We rush to church and special events. We have to pay the bills and buy the groceries and clean the house and prepare the meals that nobody wants to eat.
And yes, don’t forget that you are a full-time teacher. You have to plan the lessons, prepare to teach, and sit with each child while the others go nuts. Then the toddler makes a mess on the floor while you were spelling out with your first grader, and everything should be put on hold while you solve the problem.
We give and we give until there is nothing left of ourselves, until we are empty. We take care of the housework, cook the meals, teach the lessons, take everyone to their special piano lessons and soccer practice, run home to make dinner, put the kids to bed, then put them to bed. We get out of bed in the morning to start everything. again.
However, we choose homeschooling because we value a family where community and creativity are nurtured, where there is joy, warmth and rest, where there is no rush from one event to another. Hidden in our hearts, a little spark, a little desire for something deeper, something more eternal, awaits to flourish.
We cannot change anyone. We can only change ourselves. To move our families in the right direction, we must first move in that direction and trust that they will follow. These twelve principles of life are lessons that I learned and forgot and then reapplied to my life many times.
1. Get up while the house is still quiet. Get your breakfast. Go shower. Take a moment to drink your coffee and plan your day. It is worth the extra effort to take care of yourself before you start serving others. If you let them wake you up, you will be 10 steps behind the rest of the day. And you will be too tired and grumpy to face the challenges of the day.
If the children wake up before you are ready, put them back to bed. As a homeschooling family, you can set your own hours. Let them read in bed for half an hour or play quietly until you’re ready.
2. Ignore unwanted criticism and advice. Busy bodies everywhere have their opinions on what to do and what not to do. I’d like to say they mean well, but I’m not really so sure about that. Most of them just want to feel better about themselves taking down another person, and very few really know what they are talking about.
3. Keep a journal. Write your thoughts and contemplate yourself. Take the time to acknowledge your emotional state. Emotions are often warning messages that help you know when to rest and when something is unhealthy. Take the time to ask yourself who you really are. Knowing and finding yourself are essential for good parenting.
Four. Explore your own creative aspects. We have arts and crafts for the kids, music lessons for the kids, and essay writing for the kids. If developing the arts is so important to your children, isn’t it important to you too? You want your children to be complete, right? So do not be a hypocrite, and you will see that your children will be more willing to participate in your lessons, following your example.
5. Never stop learning. Try new things. Check out books from the library to explore a new hobby and study something you’ve always wanted to know. Your brain is a powerful tool. Whatever homeschooling style you may have, you can always unschool yourself.
6. To have lunch. And have a snack. At the end of the day, I find that I take more photos. Why? I’m not hungry, but once I’ve eaten my mood improves. We are finite people. Only God is infinite and we depend on water, food and God to feed our lives. So don’t be a martyr and eat something.
7. Insist on an afternoon break. Children need downtime in order to have unscheduled and unscheduled games. No matter how old your children are, it is good for them and for you if everyone has a quiet time alone. Send them to their rooms to read or outside to play, but enforce the rule that they must not disturb you during this time.
8. Find time to exercise. Just as it is not your wish that your children be unhealthy, it is not God’s wish for you. He appreciates you as you love your children. Parental duties and homeschooling should never get in the way of this. Make it fun and find a routine that fits your schedule. Maybe put it in during the quiet hour in the morning or during the afternoon break. Or get exercise videos that kids can do with you.
9. Take quiet walks often. Not for the purpose of exercising. Not for any purpose. Just for the chance to wander and be quiet. Be lonely To explore. Adults are goal oriented. Everything we do has a purpose, whether it’s cooking dinner, shopping for groceries, paying bills, dieting, or getting some exercise. We always strive. Sometimes we just have to put that aside. So trade favors with your spouse and take a little time each week.
10. Find time to play. Be a child again. Children are experience oriented. They do things for the simple pleasure of being. Growing up has made us lose that eternal quality of simply being. Sometimes we just need to enjoy the experience.
eleven. Never let life become a competition. We compete to be the best mom, to be the best dresser, the best decorator, the best friend, the most organized, the best scrapbooker, the most creative, the most athletic, the most beautiful. But when I stop to contemplate this, I realize that my worth really has nothing to do with anyone else. Parents celebrate their children’s first steps, no matter how hesitant. In the same way, we should celebrate our own shaky attempts to grow.
12. Learn to say no. “ Sometimes one more activity, one more responsibility or one more event is too much. Instead, choose to say “Yes” to being home, spending time with family, or enjoying dinner around the table.