JenniferB Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Our family has been hit with some difficult circumstances this school year, which had affected my motivation to homeschool well, and I need a reset button to get back on track. I'm goings through The Well Trained Mind once again and making some changes for the new year. Who else is hitting the reset button, and what changes are you making? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Sort of. We just started a new science unit because science has been pretty haphazard since, um, last January. :blushing: I feel bad because Ariel loves science, but I can't find anything that would be a good fit, and I'm not so good at putting things together myself, because I don't have a lot of time to do it. I just need to really motivate myself to do school, we took off a couple of days recently and now I just don't want to! It makes it much harder to tell DD that she has to do her work when I don't want to, either. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandty Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 :grouphug: I worked better on getting my plans written down on paper. I had several things I wanted to do when we had a free day . . . . . if I don't write it in and schedule it, it won't happen! I worked on that while on break. I am hoping to make some changes to math as I feel our progress is slower than it should be and I am not seeing understanding in my kids that I expect. We took about 2.5 weeks off and just started back today, and it is amazing how well that break changed our moods towards school. Hoping it last for a few months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 This year has waffled between meh and bleh. However, even if I had a reset button, I am at a loss as to what I could change. Maybe I can hit the reset button in late spring and forget that this year happened? Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorrelZG Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 :grouphug: I worked better on getting my plans written down on paper. I had several things I wanted to do when we had a free day . . . . . if I don't write it in and schedule it, it won't happen! argh, me too. I'm trying a 6 weeks on, 1 off schedule .. and planning things for myself to do during that week off besides schedule the next 6 weeks. :glare: I thought it might be a good time to introduce a composer and artist and do some handicrafts or special art or science activities. For my mental reset I reread The Latin-Centered Curriculum and have been clearing my house of the evidence of many things passionately started but never continued or completed which have long been taunting me until I finally reached the sober realization that I have no desire to ever get back to them and I want to part ways (curriculum mistakes included). Goodbye guilt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy7 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) This fall has been quite the challenge here as well. At the end of August (just when we were really rolling with school and in a great routine...), a HUGE pine tree snapped on our house during Hurricane Irene. We had to move (for several reasons) while they repaired the hole in our roof and gutted the upstairs. My aunt died and 6 weeks later her daughter, my 52 yo cousin, died of cancer that she had no idea she had. My mother has had half a dozen or so mini strokes and now cannot drive or be left alone. So, we drove back and forth from our 30 min. away location to care for her. Now, we are in the same town again. My dh couldn't pay his rent anymore at his business and had to relocate it. Also, my dd15 who has Lyme had an endoscopy that revealed she has Celiac as well. We finally moved back home the Wed. before Christmas!!!! God has been faithful through it all, though, and worked beautiful things in so many ways through all we have been through! All that to say, it has been a CRAZY fall! I am SOOOOO excited about things getting back to normal. I am extremely motivated right now and chomping at the bit to get started. (after Christmas break, I mean...we still did school in the midst of the turmoil...we just didn't accomplish what we normally would have. I plan to make up for it this next semester, though. Look out!) I hope that nothing like we have been through this fall happens to motivate you, though! Read a good book instead!!!!!! :lol::lol::lol: (Thanks for listening! It was therapeutic just writing all that down.) ETA: I just reread your op and it sounds like you had some unexpected things hit as well. I hope things have settled down. I will say a prayer for you. ETA: I am so excited...we just got my dd's Celiac DNA test back...SHE DOES NOT HAVE CELIAC! Praise the Lord!!!! Edited January 4, 2012 by Mommy7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 We've had difficult times, but not even spitting in your general direction as for hard times. Peace and blessings to you & yours in 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julikins Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 This last semester was a mess for us. I was all excited about our new program MFW ECC and have hardly hit the surface because of an unexpected pregnancy and complete bed rest, besides trying to build a new house and learn how to live in a new town in a new country. It's been crazy!!! So this semester my push is to get to the things that I have let slip--to actually do the lessons that I have planned, and allow my children to have fun in school too. I bought a new Language Arts program for my 9yodd who was in tears over her other grammar program, and I'm looking into a different math for my 6yrds who is in tears over his math. So the reset button was pressed on Monday, but Tuesday, my child who never gets sick, woke up with a bad case of the flu. So we've been down yesterday and today the 2nd got it. So maybe we'll press restart again tomorrow if all are better. I just really want to get a good few months in before baby comes. We have to move to the capital city around March (7 months pregnant) since my pregnancy is high risk and the medical stuff here in town is basically non-existant. And we're moving (hopefully) to the new house within a couple weeks...thinking about it, I think I need to just make the best of each day and maybe I re-press the restart button again at the beginning of next school year and hope for the best? Ugghhhh!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Right there with you. Again. We have had considerable disruption to our homeschool for years due to the terminal illness of a close relative. She passed on last January. We moved this past summer to a new home and I thought we were all set for a normal semester for once. That was wishful thinking on my part. Within three weeks of settling into our rental we learned that we had dangerous (dusty, breathable) asbestos in our basement. We had to move immediately. My dd's freshman year of high school has ended up badly compromised because I had to drop everything and get us out of that housing situation. The only real changes I am making this semester are to carefully, jealously, zealously guard our school time, both now and through the summer. There can be NO distractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Okie Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Seems like there is always room for improvement. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertmum Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) :grouphug: I worked better on getting my plans written down on paper. I had several things I wanted to do when we had a free day . . . . . if I don't write it in and schedule it, it won't happen! Same here. I am pushing the reset button right now. Last term was a mess. We had to move house and because the bank loan didn't go through quickly enough we lost a flat and we had to find and negotiate another in a hurry. Ds, dh and myself were down with chest infections. I had bad asthma as well which technically does not prevent teaching but I was exhausted most of the time from spending my nights in the sitting position. Then husband's company sliced down salaries and stopped paying for a couple of months and the stress factor was off the scale for a few weeks! Another thing: the phonics programme I bought was useless and had to switch. The handwriting was not going well so we switched that too. And above all, I got Homeschool Tracker plus to keep me focused. I was writing a journal but many times I forgot to notch things down... :bored: Edited January 4, 2012 by desertmum darn typos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy7 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I just wanted to say: :grouphug: to everyone! Blessings, Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 well, we too have had a weird year with moving and illness and vacations. Only got 7 weeks of history/science done. Math up to 55. Very little writing. Only 17 spelling lessons and about the same in grammar. It was a bust of a fall. I can't change up our plans. but I am recommitting and making a point to stay on track. We need a solid month to get back on track and feel like we learned enough to test this spring :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 carefully, jealously, zealously guard our school time, both now and through the summer. There can be NO distractions. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'm done reading the sections of TWTM that pertain to our stage in the game, and I did our re-calibrations for the rest of 2012. Yep, there were some things I was definitely neglecting, which we are adding in for the rest of the year. For our 7th grader: Logic History Outlining History Timeline Documenting Vocabulary from the Classical Roots Rod & Staff Grammar Working on Fridays to get caught up. For our 3rd & 2nd graders: History Summarizing Dictation Grammar McGuffey's Readers once a week If I/we can successfully add these things I feel we will be making the most of our weekdays together. This means less time online for me, and more time one-on-one with the kids. Reset button pushed. Come Monday, let's go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osaubi Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I was really burned out with school. We took a break for a couple of months. I told the kids I would do school with them if they asked. They didn't ask. :tongue_smilie: Then at the end of December I said ok it is time to start up school again. Everyone agreed it was time (very unusual)! One of the reasons I was getting stressed is b/c we could never finish a day or my ds would drag it out until almost bedtime. I was sick of the battle. So this week I started a loop schedule and a start and end time. That has made a huge difference in attitude for all of us. I am happy b/c I don't feel like we spent all day on school and it doesn't get dragged out forever. My ds is happy b/c he knows if he works hard for a little while he can end his school day with lots of free time. I have written the stuff we got done in a day so far this week. I am really happy with the amount of stuff we have gotten done. For the first time this school year we did music and for the 2nd time this school year art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.