It’s January. Are you ready for it?
I tend to take a two pronged approach: half the day I do a happy dance for beginning a fresh new year, half the day I slog around in my slippers feeling sad that the holidays are over.
But the show must go on, as they say, and this includes getting back to homeschooling.
I do have a method for easing into the New Year. (Read about it here.)
I also think this is a great time to assess how homeschooling is going so far. We are nearly half way through the traditional school year, and the upcoming new semester can provide a natural segue into reinforcing what works, switching things up or even going in a new direction.
For instance, maybe now’s the time to look for a writing tutor, change methods for getting through math or teaching a subject cooperatively with friends. If things have seemed way too stressful or difficult overall, this half-way mark may prompt you to pause, reflect and then make adjustments.
After all (and sometimes I forget this), homeschooling is an alternative way of teaching and learning. Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole is tedious and counterproductive for both teacher and student. Homeschooling allows us to consider a new approach to subjects that wreak havoc on a daily basis.
Quite honestly, with twins who have just entered the high school arena, an overly rigorous first semester has me rethinking and debating how we’ll really want to do these next few years. There’s plenty to consider, but the beauty of homeschooling is that we do have choices in our goals and how we wish to achieve them. The advent of this new year provides a fresh mindset to think outside the box.
To be clear, however, I’m not advocating mid-year chaos! If things have been going well, ✨that’s fantastic✨ and by all means continue.
But if there’s some aspect of homeschooling that makes you want to stay in bed and hide under the covers, the new year is a good time to figure out why and see if there’s a way to bring resolution to the problem. That’s a New Year’s resolution that would be very worthwhile!
