Saturday, July 7, 2007

The Gravitational Pull of Homeschooling

It's been a month since we put our homeschooling on 'pause.' By the time we finished up, I was so busy with last-minute wedding details that I didn't give a thought about when and how dd16 and I would start up again. (Dsds14 is a different story; I'll just stick with his IEP.)

After all these years, the pattern seems to be the same. When we take a break from school, I could not care less about where we will pick up with it, what subjects should be covered, or what materials we'll need. At that point, I don't even want to think about homeschooling anymore.

This year, between the wedding and the possibility that we could move before the end of the summer (to an area with a Lutheran high school, an option dd16 has considered), it was especially easy for me to forget about homeschooling.....for a while.

But every so often lately, a homeschooling thought pops into my head:

"The primaries next spring will make great topics for expository writing."

"This year she'll be ready for Life Prep."

"Maybe she should review Algebra once a week, just so she doesn't forget it."

"I've got to get her registered for the ACT next spring."

I'm writing these thoughts down so I won't forget; they're in a growing little pile of sticky notes on my desk. It's like I can't help myself. Once I've had that little mental break from homeschooling, it just draws me in all over again. By this time next month, that stack of notes will probably be a lot taller.

6 comments:

JeninIL said...

Hi,

Love your blog, by the way.

I hope you don't stop homeschooling. You have great ideas and insight, so much more to offer than any school.

Sorry. Just had to put in my two cents. Ha!

Thanks for sharing with those of us still in the trenches. (I have 3 kids--dd12, ds10, and ds2 1/2.)

homeschoolblogger.com/JensTaxi

Middle-Aged Moi said...

I know exactly what you mean.

Barbara Frank said...

Jen, thanks for stopping by and for the compliment. Don't worry, I'm planning to homeschool dsds14 for many years to come. And dd16 is leaning away from going to high school....this week, anyway.

Janet, hope you're having a good summer :)

Dawn said...

Came for a visit from Tuiniga Treasures. I've enjoyed touring your blog. I have 4, 3 girls and a boy, 10 to 16 that have always been home schooled. There are days the pull is strong and days that I want to throw up my hands. Overall, it is a great journey and I am so thankful for the experience and my children.

Unknown said...

Great post! I'm still in the trenches, too....18 months, 5, and 7...so I think about homeschooling 24/7, it seems. I look forward to them getting older and more self-starting!

Barbara Frank said...

Dawn, so good to see you here :)

McKinney, they will grow up and become more self-starting, I promise!