Can it be that I've burned myself out in the early years and am now just too tired to

[imeverywoman]

plan? I'm just planning on doing the next thing next. So far, I've been pleased with Sonlight along with our add-ins and have not given a whole lot of planning time to farming out classes, etc.

 

Truth be told, over the last few days, I have become really nervous that we're not ready for next year, which will be my student's first year of high school.

 

I just had to get this off my chest and will probably be putting more thoughts out here for the world to see. :001_unsure:

[Veronica in VA]

It could be burnout, or it could be you're just happy with what you're using. I used to look at all the different curriculum, etc and I still do some. But no more agonizing over it or worrying (too much). I'm happy with what we're doing. We could be doing more, differently, etc. But it's going well, and dd is learning. I wish I could have figured this all out way back when, though.

 

Veronica

[Nan in Mass]

Isn't burnout when you have trouble doing what you are doing and getting through a day? If you are happy, then all is probably fine. Sonlight goes through high school, right? Maybe you should just try their 9th grade and if it doesn't work, THEN worry? Maybe Sonlight is a good fit for your family and it is that easy GRIN.

[Guest suzluchs]

I think I was the original WTM-er... bought the first book when it came out and studied it before my first daughter (adopted from China) was even school aged. Adopted a second time 5 years after the first and so, when my eldest was in 5th, my baby started K. Then, last year, which was their 1st grade and 6th grade years, something just happened to me. I don't really know what it was. But it was scary. I... gave over. I really did just burn out. I lost every ounce of enthusiasm and belief in myself and drive and love of it... I lost my fight and my strength. I lost vision and heart. It was like a death. Because I still believed so much that it was what I SHOULD be doing, I tried plodding along, but it was murderously agonizing for all of us. You have to understand: I'm actually a schoolteacher by trade, so it's not like this was something I ever thought was going to feel daunting to me. But suddenly I was falling behind and laying awake at night in a cold sweat over what I wasn't doing, over how much damage I thought I was doing to them, over how I wasn't getting this or that part of the logic stage accomplished, yadah, yadah... I was completely overwhelmed. I looked at my older daughter too, and realized: she was missing something. A friend who stayed for a visit (who was a supportive HS-er) mentioned it: she just seemed to be drifting, unattached. And it wasn't that she and I weren't still close, because we always have been. But she seemed to need more than I was able to give her at home and I didn't want to admit that. It took me awhile, but I finally had to face that my beautiful dream was coming apart at the seams. I visited the Christian Schools in our town and I chose a very small Missouri Synod Lutheran school for her to attend. I grieved. I beat myself up totally. And you know what? She came ALIVE! She fell IN LOVE with school! She started working REALLY HARD for the first time (always did well for me in the younger grades but had started bucking my authority when asked to, for instance, write essays and such.) She attached to some outstanding teachers and wanted to do well for them, and lo and behold, she was coming home every afternoon and plopping down at the table on her own to do her work, totally motivated, and HAPPY. I was blown away. At the semester, she got straight A's (two A minuses), and I could not be more proud. She has a few wonderful friends. She goes to games. She thinks her religion teacher, who has several adopted kids from the Eastern block, is a deeply challenging mentor, both spiritually and personally. So, it's still hard for me, and I'm probably posting this in the wrong venue, but it's just one mom's experience with burn-out. It's not that I don't still process my own actions as a personal failure, but I have tried to relax a little and realize that I did the best thing for my daughter, and at least SHE is not suffering! I'm seeing that there is good in school again.

[Guest JDS in TX]

I chugged along happily until it was almost time for high school, then panic set it. Once we hit our stride into high school, things have been fine. I think it's just that high school is (for us at least) the first time you see the direct tie in between homeschool and college.

 

Up until that point I was quite happy with what we did, but I suddenly became concerned that I had missed something.