The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

to uncover glowing coals and adding a few wads of unimportant paper scraps to spark that first warm flame reminds me that it was often something seemingly insignificant that rekindled the convictions that had originally stirred my soul to the task.

Sometimes it was something that came unexpectedly and unrequested, but often it was inspiration that was an answer to prayer as I petitioned the Lord to open my eyes to the little pleasures I felt I was missing when I allowed myself to get bogged down in the routine tasks of education.

. . . When I found my
fire for homeschooling
burning out, it usually
meant it was time to look
for some warm coals.

Often, in the midst of “putting our shoulders to the grindstone” and muscling our way through a pile of lessons, I would forget that homeschooling was a privilege and not a chore. Of course, there are times when we must apply some grit and determination to finish a difficult task, but prolonged “plodding along” can sometimes simply bog us down further. What we need is a little stirring to uncover those warm passions that make homeschooling fun and enjoyable.

There is an old adage that says sometimes “we can’t see the forest for the trees,” and I think that often the root of burnout may lie in a pile of curriculum that seems overwhelming and endless. Half consumed, it is like the pile of gray ash that covers those glowing coals in my fireplace.

After I had homeschooled a few years, I realized that my children did not have to complete every problem on every page to learn the needed concepts from the lessons nor did I have to throw away half-finished curriculum when we were bored or bogged down in order to gain a fresh perspective. I could simply look through the lessons and determine the main concepts that they needed to master, and then we could work on those problems by approaching them from a different angle, frequently incorporating them into a unit study or some other project that rekindled a desire to learn, in both myself and my children.

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Some years we would find an inter-
esting audio book—usually historical
fiction—around which we could base
a short unit study. Many times the fuel
that reignited our interest in learn-
ing would be something unexpected in
terms of education, such as the year we
based a unit study around a short tele-
vision series about Australia that spiked
an interest in the Australian outback
and kept learning warm and exciting
until spring. I was amazed by how ef-
fectively geography and English skills
were gained from a study based on a TV
series! That little spark ignited a flame
that gave us excitement for some much
heavier logs of learning.

Sometimes it seemed
as though those warm
coals were buried
deeper in the ashes than
at other times . . . .

When I found my fire for homeschooling burning out, it usually meant it was time to look for some warm coals, and sometimes those warm coals were buried deeper in the ashes than at other times. February may be a month of gray skies and cold weather, but it doesn’t mean our school days can’t be warm and cheery and burning brightly with enthusiasm and interest—we may just need to stir the ashes.

Sheila Campbell began homeschooling in 1991, and after the death of her husband in 2001, she homeschooled as a single parent. She also was the parent of a special needs child whom she cared for at home until his death in 2004. These difficulties have strengthened her walk with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is her prayer that her words will encourage and inspire others. Sheila resides in Hale Center, Texas, and recently left her job with the Texas Home School Coalition to pursue her writing goals. Sheila invites you to visit her blog at pausingtopraise . wordpress.com.