So, you’re having one of those days. Or, it might be difficult to tell bad days from bad weeks because the days, the disappointment, the drama, they all seem to run together. Homeschooling was supposed to be inspiring. To you and your children. This summer your heart was full of images of cozy read-alouds, Pinterest-worthy crafts, and smiling faces crowded around the school table, eager to learn. Unfortunately, reality, as it often does, has slapped you. Hard.

Instead, your week has been full of testy pre-teens who can’t stop humming during read-alouds. Craft projects are skipped whenever possible and when completed are haphazard and rushed, usually consisting of poorly cut scraps of paper glued to your kindergartener’s arm. There are no smiling faces gathered around the table; mostly because no one has gathered around the table. You’ve nicely announced, “it’s time for school.” Then you’ve announced it again. And again. Until you’ve finally stormed upstairs and angrily directed everyone downstairs. Now they’re technically gathered around the table, but the preteens are irritated, the kindergartener is confused and the three-year-old continues to live in his own world in which tables are diving boards and markers are face paint.

Welcome to homeschooling in October. The excitement of September is long behind you, and the freedom of June is so far in the future you can’t allow yourself to go there. So, what do we do?

Dig in. Persevere. Try harder tomorrow, knowing your efforts may be in vain. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. We educate our children at home because we truly believe it’s the best choice for our families. Our crazy, broken, wild, messy families. So, how do we lead our haphazard army into the battles of today?

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12

LOOK INWARD.

Once the smoke of a bad day clears and I can finally take a deep breath, I try to engage in self-examination and see all the areas in which I led the kids, or the day, astray. Did I get up late? (Probably.) Did I pick up the phone when I should have let it go to voicemail? Did I rush people into their studies just so we could cross things off a list instead of stopping to listen? Did I provide a decent breakfast or watch as people rushed past me to the Pop-Tart box and figure that was good enough? The list goes on. And sometimes it hurts.

REEVALUATE THE PLAN.

With over a month of schooling under our belts, we are working with a reasonably established routine. But, is it really working? If you’re schooling children of multiple ages, consider switching up the order. Maybe your littles go first, while your olders read silently. If you always start with math, maybe it’s time to move spelling to the top of the list. If everyone is complaining of hunger by 10 a.m., maybe it’s time to rejigger the breakfast menu, or institute a mid-morning healthy snack break. The plan you created in the quiet sunshine of Summer may not survive the damp din of Fall. Give yourself permission to reevaluate and leave nothing off the table.

CONSIDER THE OTHER FACTORS.

Before you call the school office and start to think through this year’s bus routes, stop. So, you’re currently a floundering homeschooler, but what other forces are acting upon you and your household that might be causing tension and limiting your success? Are you dealing with sickness? Financial struggles? Trying to move? Using brand new curriculum with a steeper learning curve than you anticipated? Or maybe it’s nothing even that lofty. Are you low on sleep? Fighting with your spouse? Over-scheduled? Before you blame all your stress and tension on homeschooling, consider other culprits that may be weighing you down.

START FRESH ON MONDAY.

I’m a planner. A bit of a perfectionist. A Type A brain trapped in a Type B house. So, I prefer to have my ducks completely in a row before trying the next thing. For me this means that I like to start fresh on a Monday. I prefer to finish out the week as best as I can, look inward and reevaluate the plan over the weekend, and start fresh as the week begins. That’s just me. Maybe you can adjust more quickly, in which case, implement your changes in your own time and in your own way. But, regardless of how or when, commit to starting fresh.

If homeschooling was easy, more people would do it. But, you’re in this place for a reason. You’re the best mom and teacher for the job. Hang in there, dear momma. You’ve got this.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9