Each year I go through some sort of purge. Some sort of reorganization. It happens throughout my home. Yesterday, I was sorting through some things on my bookshelves and I came across some notes to myself about homeschooling.
I’m forever writing ideas on cards and slips of paper and tucking them away somewhere. This was one of those cards.
I could tell immediately upon spotting it, it was intended to be an encouragement post for my homeschool mama friends (and also myself). So, I sat down and looked up the Bible verses. Right away, I got the drift.
This post may include affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase based on my recommendation, I get a small remuneration at no extra expense to you. I only recommend things I use and believe to be a blessing.
These Bible verse addresses – jotted down in the busyness of some devotional morning – were a reset for my homeschool! How appropriate for Homeschool Reset Month!
I know my decluttering session was God-ordained because of the results. Somewhere in the semi-recent past, God impressed these verses on my heart. But He had an intention for them to encourage me now – as we struggle through the various difficulties of our days. Now. His Word is for now – for such a time as this.
By the way, these notes are a way to reset your homeschool at any time of year. But somehow they seem to work best right now – in the midst of the busyness of the year. Reluctance to get started is real. Or maybe, weariness has set in. There is light at the end of the tunnel, you can see the end of the year from here, and yet there is still so much work to be done.
I offer these simple ideas for resetting your homeschool as a sort of torch to guide the way through the rest of the year. I hope you find them encouraging. There are three “gets” and a “remember.”
Get excited!
I have shared before I can celebrate the smallest of successes along the way. My general celebratory nature allows me to get through the rough days. I get so excited to see the end of the line just so I can look back and see the road which lies behind. To see the progress my kids have made in the past year.
But don’t just get excited about the end of the year.
Get excited because this homeschooling thing is good. You have been doing good this year! 2 Thessalonians 3:13 exhorts us,
“Do not grow weary of doing good.”
The context of this passage is talking about setting a good example and modeling – an essential homeschooling practice. When you get excited, when you model excitement – not weariness, your kids will see it and imitate.
Get thankful!
This homeschooling thing is a high calling. It is not for the faint of heart. But it is dotted with multitudes of miracles along the way. Just the mere fact you have your kids at home with you to teach them is worthy of multiple prayers of thanksgiving!
The routine of homeschooling can sometimes get a bit tedious. Take the time to thank God for the beauty and abundance of your homeschool. For the books on the table, brains in heads, pencils, pens. Praise God for the fact that you can take a walk with your kids in the middle of the day just to look at God’s creation for a few minutes. For the hearts and minds God has given each of you.
And on the days when all is rough, I remember this one line from Psalm 56:9
This I know, that God is for me.
What an idea worthy of daily prayers of thanksgiving!
Get a plan!
Wait a minute. Plan? In the middle of the year? Yep.
Hear me out.
You’re going to like this plan. It’s from 1 Thessalonians 4: 11-12.
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
How do we pursue this quiet life, this attending to one’s own business? Turn down the volume!
The chaos of our weeks can get loud. We can run from one thing to the next. Drive on to the next project and the next task in a sort of race against the clock.
Make a plan to turn down the volume in your homeschool. Drop something that is too loud, too distracting, too busy. Let something go!
Instead opt for something quiet, something simple. Punctuate your year with a feeling of refreshment, not exhaustion from doing all the things.
Remember the Reason for Homeschooling
Remember you are not in love with instruction. At this point in the year, you may be on the outs with instruction. You are not in love with the material. Yes, there are some amazing resources out there, but you likely didn’t start homeschooling for the curriculum.
You are in love with your child.
Both the reason we homeschool and the goal of homeschooling is love.
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1 Timothy 1:5
When we lose sight of the reason and the goal – love – we are in danger of getting blown off course before we reach the destination. The context of this 1 Timothy passage is the idea of being distracted by what doesn’t matter. When this happens in the spiritual context, it is very dangerous. When we lose sight of it in our homeschools, it is similarly dangerous – we can feel “less than.” We can forget our personal goals and start trying to meet the standards of others.
Take some time in this homestretch of homeschooling this year to remind yourself of your “why.” Refocus your homeschool around the love you have for your kids. I think it will help us to finish well.
____
This month I’m sharing my ideas, tips, and resources for resetting your homeschool. Follow along with me on Instagram for daily tips or sign up to have homeschool encouragement delivered directly to your inbox.
