My 11 year old granddaughter and I started homeschooling Monday, August 30th of this year. She really didn’t have a say in the matter because it was the best decision for her 6th grade education at this time. Now, like most of us she was not happy about being told she didn’t have a choice and this is the way it was going to be. But that is the reality of life. So, we started our school year off with a girl who didn’t want to be homeschooled, live with her grandmother, and not that enthused about school in general. Need I say this all translated into a very bumpy start!
I was not new to using cyber school to homeschool. My youngest daughter and I used it for 2 of the 6 years we homeschooled and it was pretty good. The reason I chose cyber school back then was because I wanted to use the “Calvert Curriculum” and it was available through the PA Cyber Charter School, which saved me money I really didn’t have. So I felt confident in doing cyber school with my granddaughter. Well, things do not always turnout the way we think they are going to. We are in a different cyber school, and personally I think their system is very overwhelming. I would hate to think how it is for someone who has never homeschooled before and coming in at grade 6. So, not only did I have a child on my hands that I had to pull along, I was also hating this particular cyber school and the way they did things. That bumpy beginning took a huge turn for the worse.
If I hadn’t known for sure that this was something the Lord had asked of me, I really don’t know what I would have done??? But even with the security of “This is what I am supposed to be doing” I still had great days of frustration. But I wasn’t alone, my granddaughter was also very frustrated and this combination made for long hard school days. And to top it all off, she had gaps in math and grammar…errrrrr!!! There were many tears for her and some for me too those first few weeks. It seemed as if we were doing schoolwork 7 days a week, just for her to keep up. Wait! We were doing schoolwork 7 days a week! And to top this off, the cyber school added even more on my plate with attending so many different sessions that I had to keep rearranging my life. Another pet peeve of mine about this school was they were very last minute with a lot of stuff, too much overlapping of things and just a royal pain in the butt! If I could have gotten out of this someway, I would have bailed. But I couldn’t and I didn’t!
But about 2 ½ weeks ago, things really started coming together for us. We made it through the first round of her turning in certain work for a portfolio to her teacher, and we were no longer carrying leftover work from one week to the next and for the past 2 weekends, we did not have to do schoolwork to keep up. In fact we are ahead in some subjects! Yes, praise the Lord!!!
I focused on how hard and frustrating things were in the beginning to encourage anyone who reads this blog and is having a hard time at it, (especially if you are a first time homeschooler) to not give up and hang in there. Things do get better. I think sometimes as human beings we get confused when we enter into a new season of life were God has ordered our steps that it is somehow supposed to be easier. But that is far from the truth. Life can be very challenging with God’s blessings. Jesus warns us, “Their will be trails and tribulations!” Most Believers #1 reason for homeschooling is to make sure that their children are raised with good Christian values and a focus on living for the Lord. So, we must remember we have an enemy who is not pleased with a choice such as that because it will bring harm to his kingdom. Therefore, as many obstacles as he can possibly lie before us he will. But in all of it we must remember that we can do all things through Christ according to God’s will for us.
Prayer is key in helping us not to become so overwhelmed we want to give up. If you don’t have a person in your life (homeschooler or not) who you can talk to and cry with and will encourage you, then my prayer for you is that you seek God for such a friend.
My advice to new homeschoolers is not to give up and keep seeking new ways to make things work for you. Sometimes you might need to change your curriculum or how you are using it. It could be the cyber school that you are using, because they are not all the same. Like anything in life, you have your good ones and you have your not so good ones. It is still very early in the school year, so don’t let the everyday struggles make you feel defeated or that you made the wrong decision. Remember why you decided to homeschool and keep that in the forefront to encourage you to forge on.
Please look for my upcoming eBook “Single Parents Can Homeschool Too!” Coming in the early part of 2011.
Love & Hugs
Ponnie
Next Thruday: Another great homeschooling story, but you will have to tune in to see who writes it! ~Smile~
Friday's Blog: Tackles are hard subject, but sometimes we need to go there. Please stop by to check it out.
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