The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
• You’re thinking Easter might be a
good time to start back to school after
Christmas break.

• You find yourself checking out boarding schools on the Internet.

• You ask Jesus to return before school tomorrow.

• You’ve said to your children recently,
“Not right now, honey; Mommy is
having a nervous breakdown.”
• Your get-up-and-go has gotten up and
went.

• You’ve considered graduating your

9-year-old.

• You’ve made a list of all possible school break holidays: President’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Ground-hog Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, Hug a Troll Day, National Waffle Day.

• When asked about the benefits of
homeschooling, you answer, “I’m sorry,
the number you have reached is no
longer in service.”
The biggest homeschool enemy you
face is YOU.

Burnout is a very real malady for homeschoolers. After all, you’ve had a long first semester and are staring at some mighty long, bleak months ahead. Even when you squint, you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, and summer feels like a light-year away.

Mom, I know you love your kids and love the idea of homeschooling your children (whether or not you can admit it at this moment). You started this adventure thinking it would be fun learning together, but you can’t remember the last time you smiled. Can I offer some advice to fight a bad case of homeschool burnout? Here’s my advice:

Try Something New

If you haven’t liked the math program you’ve been using, try something else. If you feel like you’re trudging through the school schedule, shake it up and move things around. Maybe do the first things last and the last things first.

Throw it Out

If you or your children have absolutely hated doing a certain subject or curriculum, toss it. Don’t keep doing something you all hate in hopes that the results will change. You might not feel the freedom to toss out math forever, (they’ll need that skill later in life) but maybe you can shelve it for two weeks and do something else like play math games during that time. It is amazing how much better you’ll feel knowing you don’t have to face that little monster each day. So if you hate it, throw it out, and don’t feel guilty about it.

Renew Your Vision

Part of the reason you feel the burnout is because you’ve forgotten the impact you make in your children’s life each day as you homeschool. You’ve forgotten that what you do in your homeschool matters more than having a clean house, being caught up with scrapbooking, and hanging out with your friends at a restaurant for lunch.