Hi! This is an outline of a talk I gave several years ago. I thought I would start my “Homeschool Corner” off with these notes since I think they can be really helpful. And, current times being what they are – who knows – there may be more folks lining up to homeschool soon! Enjoy!

How many of you are experiencing joy in your homeschooling right now? Here are a few of my favorite pick-me-up Scriptures:

-“Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

-“For My burden is light and My yoke is easy.” Matthew 11:30

-Of course, there is always Deuteronomy 6:7 – “Teach your children…(You can look up the rest. I want to encourage you all to be “independent learners”. Tee hee.)

*I love sayings, such as the grass always looks greener…( note: it’s not that the grass IS greener).

*Homeschooling has always given me great joy, but I have my seasons like everyone else when it can begin to seem dull and lackluster, and I’m tempted to go searching for that “greener” grass.

*I am BLESSED to be in a “career” that I really do love but I have to be reminded during some of those down times why I chose this journey to begin with.

Here’s a little acronym that I came up with:

H O M E S C H O O L

High calling – The Lord called me to it and he equips me; besides, I like a challenge!

Others-centered –It gets my mind off of myself.

Meaning –Homeschooling enriches my life and gives me a great sense of purpose.

Eternal – It gives me the opportunity to mold character and be a soul-winner in my own home.

Simplicity –I don’t have to worry about supplying uniforms and Kindles, and attending PTA meetings. I can be as old-fashioned as I want to, make healthy lunches for my kids, and bag the peer pressure, programs, and proms.

Creativity –I can put my own personality and imagination into things and encourage my kids to do the same.

Heartwarming moments – I have a mental scrapbook of beautiful homeschooling memories of all kinds.

Outside – It provides excuses for and allows time for doing more outside, and for considering God’s creation.

Order –Homeschooling lends order to my world when the world around me is going nuts.

Learning – I LOVE to learn right alongside my kids!

TIPS FOR BEING A JOYFUL HOMESCHOOLER

Be content. Paul said “I have learned to be content in every circumstance.”  The monetary pay may not be too good (!) but how many people can say they are blessed enough to be working at a “career” that they love? I can!

Mold character by serving others. I was able to have my disabled Mom come to live with me. That would have been really hard if I were working an outside job and had the kids in school. I was able to enjoy my Mom and minister to her, and my kids learned how to assemble a wheelchair, change hearing aid batteries, and develop compassion. Additionally, my Mom was delighted to help her grandchildren with their spelling practice and quizzes each week!

Don’t be a “mommy martyr”. Carve out time for yourself each and every day to do something you find interesting and motivating. Your kids do not want a frazzled, burned-out role model in their lives. We cannot effectively be a role model if we are investing every minute of our time in our children and making “idols” out of them. They need to see our unique personalities, talents, and interests, and they need to have the space and independence to develop their own personalities and listen for God’s voice in their lives.

Pay attention to your husband and try to have a “date” night every week or two. Those date nights could be as simple as putting the kids to bed early or having them spend time in their rooms, and having private time with hubby to bond. Some day our kids are going to grow up and leave home and we will need to know how to relate to our husbands again – ha, ha!

Sometimes, when the mood gets tense in your home, and biblical wisdom is starting to fall on deaf ears, try lightening the mood in various ways. It could be as simple as using some humor and a smile to brighten things up, doling out hugs, or asking the family to do a silly dramatization of the fits of temper that just took place (this was wonderfully effective in earlier years but is not quite as effective on teenage girls, who may respond better to hugs and understanding words).

If the homeschool day is really turning sour, drop everything you are doing (if possible) and put on a great history video, like Drive-Thru History, curl up on the sofa together and read a beautiful picture book (I have actually resorted to this with my highschooler occasionally), or go on a spontaneous field trip.

Speaking of videos, our family has always enjoyed either watching an educational or historical fiction video together, or listening to some edifying Bible audio dramatizations during our lunch hour. My kids still do this with each other, even now that they are older.

Avoid the overload syndrome. If you are overloaded, try to get 1/3 of whatever is loading you down off of your plate. Do not be afraid to delegate. Sometimes fathers can take a huge load off of Mom by “teaching” or helping the kids with something that they are good at. WARNING #1 – do not ask Dad to teach anything that he is not interested in. It will be a miserable flop. WARNING #2 – if Dad is not interested or too tired, be careful not to press or perhaps seek help only occasionally. Older siblings, outside classes, and bartering with friends can also be a good source of help. I have used all of the above to great advantage. One semester, a friend of mine and I had fun teaching each other’s kids. She taught my girls how to quilt pillows and I taught her children how to play tennis. It was a blast.

Get organized. Sometimes we experience frustration and anger because our houses look like war zones. I have found that if the children and I take 15-20 minutes to simply clear away the clutter so we can find our pencils, it is a huge stress-reliever.

Making the learning process as fun as we can eases the burden that we may feel. I have always enjoyed putting together word games for my kids, doing nature-exploring, and enjoying living books together, as well as making history come alive by visiting all sorts of historical places that we have studied about. This last Christmas, we were blessed to be able to work some history into our family vacation down to Atlanta (where we visited my son and his family). We saw the original site of the beginning of the Trail of Tears, Native American burial mounds that are 60 feet high, and an antebellum plantation and farm. We also visited Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, on New Year’s Day, on our way home. I won’t say it trumped the visit with our family but these were very exciting and memorable places to see, since we are studying American History this year.

Think outside the box! Dare to be different and try new things. Each of our homeschool years has looked a little different from one to the next. Variety is the spice of life and homeschooling provides the most unique opportunities imaginable for providing an interesting education. Your kids are individuals. Try to cater to their strengths.

Raise independent learners and lovers of God. Doing both will make your life so much easier. Your children will be able to do so much more on their own, leaving you to concentrate on doing the things you really love to do with them more, and the character-building will create a much more harmonious atmosphere for homeschooling.

Your children are imperfect and so are you. Love them where they are…like Jesus loves us! This is probably the greatest Homeschooling Commandment.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF HOMESCHOOLING JOY

1. Be content.

2. Mold character by teaching your children to love God and to love others.

3. Do not be a “Mommy Martyr”.

4. Pay attention to your husband.

5. Avoid the “overload syndrome”.

6. Get organized.

7. Think outside the box!

8. Make the learning process fun and relaxed.

9. Raise independent learners.

10. Love your children unconditionally. (This is the greatest commandment!)