Summer school isn’t so bad

Posted by Marsha | 0 comments

School is out for summer!  At least it is for the local schools and the majority of my homeschooling friends. Yours truly, however, will be plugging along throughout the upcoming hot, sweaty months! Can I get a hurrah? 

*chirp chirp*

I didn’t think so.

If all goes according to schedule, we will finish up our “year” just in time for our annual off-season family vacation at the end of September. Yup, you read that correctly– September!

One of the many benefits of homeschooling is being able to choose the type of schedule that works best for your family. Many follow the traditional September through May calendar. Others have school all year long with a one week break thrown in every 6 weeks– and perhaps even the entire month of December off. Since I am about as trendy as my husband’s work schedule is predictable (he works for the airlines and only knows his schedule a month at a time), we school every day that we can and take breaks whenever something fun (or necessary) presents itself.

The downside to my kind of scheduling (ahem, besides the whole finishing in September thing!) is that it is very easy to always feel behind.  I am positive that many of you can relate to this feeling, no matter what type of schedule you use.   But why do we feel like that when we have made the requisite calendars and charted our goals appropriately?   While I can’t answer for everyone else, I can speak for myself when I say that my problem lies with pride and comparison.

It kind of hurts the old pride when we school year-round on purpose, but others may view us as just being lazy and not getting it done.  Y’know, like people who claim to homeschool but they aren’t really teaching their children anything.   After all, if we were schooling instead of playing video games and eating ice cream all day, we wouldn’t still be in school when it’s already June (or July or August), would we?  I also get myself in trouble when I look at how little Johnny is in 2nd grade and already doing quadruple digit division… whereas my 2nd grader is just learning his times tables.  Maybe I am failing my kids?  Ugh, we are so behind!  Maybe if we have school 6 days a week and then add night school to 3 of those days– then we will be where we should be?!

All of these crazy thoughts are simply distractions and discouragement from staying the course and not enjoying this journey of homeschooling.  I can get over the ridiculous comparisons and be confident in our schedule because of several things:

-I’ve prayed about it.
-I have a plan and goals that were already decided upon (ahem, last September).
-My husband and I are in agreement.
-We remain diligent, even in the face of discouragement and temptation (like being invited for the third time in a week to go to the lake or beach– it’s all about balance!).

So for all of you year-round homeschoolers out there, stay the course and do not be discouraged!  Don’t fall into the trap of comparison and don’t let your pride be wounded because other people don’t understand why your family keeps a different schedule.  

And for those of you that keep a traditional schedule, don’t forget that even though we are still hitting the books, you can still invite us to do fun things with you (oh please, oh please, oh please!).  One of the biggest perks of going year round is that we can take advantage of opportunities to spend time and do things with our friends.  And when it’s the end of September and you are already a couple weeks into your new school year, don’t be hatin’ me just because I’m lounging on an uncrowded beach somewhere.  I’m just sayin’… count yourself invited!

Marsha is proud to be the Mrs. to David for over 12 years. They have been homeschooling their rowdy boys in the Lone Star State for the past 5 years. When she’s feeling like a slacker, you can find her drinking coffee, reading a book and writing at her blog — and sometimes all at the same time! You can find Marsha at Our Homeschool and Other Such Happenings.