What's Your Biggest Homeschooling Challenge?

[Sunkirst]

I nodded in agreement to so many of these answers. I struggle to keep myself motivated many days. I struggle to give time enough to each child, to be a wife to my dh, and to take care of myself. I've struggled to be consistent in my style/curriculum choice.

However, my biggest struggle thus far has been teaching my first to read. We finally found out that he has mild dyslexia, but for years I thought that I must just be a terrible teacher, or that he was just a unmotivated learner. Funny thing, we both cheered when the test for dyslexia came back positive :rolleyes:.

[Debbie in London]

My biggest challenge is finding a balance between at home studies and outside activities and field trips. We don't have a car and use public transport to get around, so when we go anywhere it's atleast a half day affair. We probably won't be here for more than an year from now so I would hate to stop going to places but I also have so many "traditional" school things I want to get done. I'm having a hard time finding the right balance so this is definitely my biggest challenge.

 

Debbie

[GaJeannie]

My biggest homeschool challenge is, hands down, time management. I look at the clock and it's almost lunch time and I haven't a foggy clue where the time went! I make schedules and post them...to no avail. But we're learning and that's what's important. :cool:

 

Ga Jeannie

[Jeanine in TX]

Some days I feel like I am almost near burn out. School is manageable and we get things done according to schedule. I can even keep the house clean (most days). However, I am going to have to reduce my outside volunteer obligations. Lately, it seems like it takes up all of my free time. It's hard to find time to relax and hang out with my husband and children. They have been patient this year, but this is not an optimal situation for the long-term. Most of my obligations end in May or June. I cannot wait.

[Mama Bear]

BALANCE

 

Me too. Balance, attention, consistency. And yet, doing this alone with five kids, on with special needs, how else would it look? Sometimes things have to be shuffled. Sometimes fires must be put out. Then we edge back toward center and pick it up again. It's all good. :D

[LG Gone Wild]

Habits is another challenging area. I've struggled to get my kids consistent with the simple habit of waking up, dressing, making beds, doing their "toilet" and eating breakfast--in that order. I was just talking with my dh last night about it because I just don't understand why we continue to struggle with this. I started following this plan religiously when I found Flylady about 5 yrs ago so it's not for a lack of consistency in myself or my husband.

 

If we could just make some real, consistent, permanent progress in this one little area I would be greatly encouraged. Then I wouldn't have to be the bad guy each morning and say, "Go get your morning chores done! No breakfast until it's done. No electronics until you're done!"

 

I've tried all kinds of scheduling things and tricks and resolutions but this bedevils us.

[Kathie in VA]

I really like picking the curriculum. I make the schedules with full understanding that we may do things in a different order but I need to ensure that they CAN get done in a day/week timeframe. My biggest problem is implementation. We either don't get started on time, or there are 'reasonable' interruptions. These are big like packing to move, unpacking from moving, tending to dh when he had a broken foot, major cleaning for major company, helping to build the deck, etc.

 

Oh and what do you do when you combine kids in a subject like history or science and one kid is sick?? Well both skip it... ug.

 

Then there's the last minute errands that dh needs me to do... and how much to you think the kids get done when Mom runs out? zilch.

 

and now... here's the Flu. yeah!

[saved1112]

Going from teaching one to four; fitting it all in; organization.

[Jenny in Atl]

Not doubting myself... and more time. I always feel like I'm running out of it.

[HSMom2One]

Be disciplined enough to finish EVERY item on our daily list. We are great at getting up early and working diligently through lunch. It is hard to get back on track for another 2 hours of work. It is so easy to let that last reading session fall from the schedule. My dc yell, "We'll do it later--at bedtime!", but I found that "later" oftentimes never comes. So....we perservere until ALL work is done. We do it, but I would definitley say that is our biggest challenge.

 

We are learning to do better, but then Grandma announces she has a dr. apt. in the morning or someone drops by unnanounced, the phone rings, etc. and if we aren't careful we have to replan our schedule once again. :lol:

 

Hs'ing is harder than I thought it would be, but even with the challenges we wouldn't go back to ps for anything!

 

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Peela]

I am fine with time manageament and homeschooling routines, I dont mind mind changing curriculum when needed, I don't have little kids any more, but....

 

my biggest challenge woudl have to be homeschooling my 2nd child, my son, who the more I homeschool, the more I realise has learning difficulties and is what would be called a slow learner. He was recently diagnosed dyslexic, even though he can read just fine now, and he has a very obsessive compulsive personality. I find it a challenge to know when I really am pushing too hard, and when he is pulling my strings, and I get sucked into negotiating with him far too often. It is the one factor in our days that can wear me down and fray my temper.

The other things are I don't like marking work much, and I am not really enthusiastic about cooking meals for 3 people who all have very different tastes. Lucky they are old enough to fix themselves something when I give up trying.

[DSAcademy]

My pantry has an innocuous little sticky that reads; "Your kids are 9 and 11."

 

Underneath it, another sticky perches vicariously; "Seriously, 9 and 11."

 

The last sticky, "Yes...socially and academically...9 and 11," keeps falling off.

 

I seem to continuously forget that we are not peers, sitting in a masters class...(at least not yet!!!)...Truly I am working on this.