Mimm Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) Someone asked for a poll for this question that I posted earlier and thinking that it might be fun to get more responses than my original thread, I'm going to give this a shot. Never created a poll so give me a few minutes to figure it out. :) ETA: Yay a poll! Sorry if you don't like the options. Seems like that happens with every poll. :p ETA (more): By year, I am referring to how many years you have homeschooled, not what grade your child is in. We are in our second year. So far, this year is much harder than last year. Edited January 15, 2012 by Mimm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Several years have been difficult for me mostly due to moving or having a baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 We're only in 2nd grade (or year 3 if you count kindy). I'll let you know after they finish high school. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Different years are difficult for different reasons. First, homeschooling is hard. Almost as hard as marriage. But it's also as blissful when it's running right. The first year is hard because it's the first and you begin to realize it's not all about the book learnin. Year 4 is hard because it's when the rubber hits the road. 7 is hard because it's the beginning of Big Things. 10 is hard because there's only two left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 For me, the year puberty started was the hardest. It didn't help that peri-menopause started the same year. With 20/20 hindsight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Each new grade/level that I haven't done before takes tweaking and trial and effort. So every year brings new challenges because my oldest keeps getting older. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 K-12 :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The hardest years are when I had a high schooler and a toddler or infant. High school math and babies are a volatile mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 This year, which is our 7th. The first year was super easy. I had a motivated 4 year old working somewhere between K and 2nd grade for about an hour a day. My younger child was in preschool half the day. We spent the rest of our time playing, going on field trips, visiting the park, and reading. This year, in contrast, finds me doing high school level work in several subjects with under high school age kids, trying to make time for my 4 year old and 2 year old between morning routing/breakfast and lunch/nap, and trying to get everything else done. We've also had a move this year, and I'm having some problems with vertigo that is either making me feel bad or taking my time researching how I can treat it or get it treated for minimal cost. It's been crazy, and I feel like I'm not doing a good job for any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Each new grade/level that I haven't done before takes tweaking and trial and effort. So every year brings new challenges because my oldest keeps getting older. :) This. And of all the new grades I've had to tackle thus far, 9th has been the hardest. (of course, that would be this year. :glare:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The hardest years are when I had a high schooler and a toddler or infant. High school math and babies are a volatile mix. :iagree: The year I had a high schooler, a 1st grader, a middle schooler, and three toddler/infants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Every year seems to bring new challenges. I don't know if there's one harder than the rest...so far they've all had their good and bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeinMT Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 This year is always the hardest and looking back at the last year it was always easier. Next year will surely be the same, but I wouldn't trade one of them for sending the kids elsewhere. It may be hard, but we're all in it together! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Last year, our 7th, but it had little to do with school. We had unemployment, a long distance move, illness, a home remodel, and several weeks of our family living apart. Homeschooling is hard work, that's why I view it like a job. Each year a job can bring new challenges. However, with most jobs you have to keep pressing through when you have personal issues. Homeschooling allows us the choice to press through or lighten up for a bit. The hard part is knowing which is the right decision at the right time. We've done both at different times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 By far, whatever age they are when they begin the college application process is THE hardest simply because of all the blasted applications, Common App, financial mess etc. Very stressful time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I can't answer the poll because I cannot specifically separate each year I've homeschooled into easy or difficult years. We have homeschooled 11 years. The early years were the easiest because the kids were young and schoolwork was fun stuff. Middle school got tougher because the work load increased and the content became more complex. High school has just been terrible. The kids hate it. The classes are challenging and there isn't any way to get out of doing assignments because we use an accredited school program. Until now, we could tweak things or skip them entirely. We cannot do that anymore, so I would say this last stage in K-12 is going to be the most difficult. I can't bribe them with chocolate chips, field trips, or trips to Barnes & Noble anymore. :tongue_smilie: FWIW, my first year was tough because I was trying to figure it all out. I saved every worksheet, workbook, paper, and projects they did. I kept meticulous records of what we did every day and for how long we did it. My state didn't require such records but I was scared. After I met other homeschooling moms, I realized I could relax. I was more confident the next couple of years. By about the 4th year or so, homeschooling became second nature. It became our lifestyle so I didn't/don't worry about it like I did the first few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 If I just take into account the actual schooling, this year is the hardest. All 5 are school age. Ds12 & ds11 need me for discussions, plus I have to grade all their independent work. Ds9 is a daydreamer, and really needs me engaged with him to keep him focused. I also have to grade his independent work. Ds7 & ds6 have a few things they can do without me, but they both require me for most everything. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 By far, whatever age they are when they begin the college application process is THE hardest simply because of all the blasted applications, Common App, financial mess etc. Very stressful time. I'm not really looking forward to navigating the whole end of high school, getting into college thing. It seems very overwhelming. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The only years I would classify as "difficult" are 1) the year that my dad died (EK was in 6th grade & EK was in 1st grade) 2) ER's senior year (because of all the college & transcript paperwork) 3) ER's first year in college (because I had a very hard time dealing with the transition) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 This year is always the hardest and looking back at the last year it was always easier. Next year will surely be the same, but I wouldn't trade one of them for sending the kids elsewhere. It may be hard, but we're all in it together! :001_smile: This is pretty much how I feel about it too. It is hard, but *why* it is hard varies form year to year.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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