Bob , Kari and I have been out working at the farm burning the tons of trees that came down in the ice storm 
this past February so that he can mow the quickly growing spring grass. We have to clean up the old dead wood so that he can get on the tractor and mow all the energetic new growth that is bursting forth. In order for the new grass to really flourish, the old trees have to be removed--and that takes a lot of work.
Along this same line, I think this is a great time of year to look at our schooling and our parenting in the same light. What can we get rid of that is hampering growth [either in us or in our children]? What do we need to clean up so that maximum learning can take place? I know when I was homeschooling my kids, this time of year was always exciting and scary at the same time. We were trying to finish up the current studies and books which frankly, by this time of year, we would like to just get rid of--but we were already looking forward to next year and making plans.
I think sometimes we forget that homeschooling is NOT like marriage. You can change curricula, you can change tactics, you can re-group or try something different [maybe a different schedule, or a different math curriculum, or group kids together in a new way]. Maybe re-arrange work/study places or bedrooms in order to make a more growth-friendly environment.
Just like late winter and spring are great times to look through seed catalogs dreaming about summer gardens;
NOW is a great time to plan for our fall schooling. It is time to re-evaluate and decide what worked and what didn't and then make adjustments. You can clean out the old dead wood so that you can make room for new growth and learning in the fall.
But, it might be that if you take the time to contemplate this past year, you may realize that it went very well--the kids grew in many ways and you need to keep on doing what you are doing. Perhaps you don't need to cut up the dead wood and burn it, because maybe you didn't have an ice storm and the new grass has never been healthier. If so--congratulations!
And, if you have questions feel free to contact me via email-jevely@sonlight.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Take care,
Jill
this past February so that he can mow the quickly growing spring grass. We have to clean up the old dead wood so that he can get on the tractor and mow all the energetic new growth that is bursting forth. In order for the new grass to really flourish, the old trees have to be removed--and that takes a lot of work.Along this same line, I think this is a great time of year to look at our schooling and our parenting in the same light. What can we get rid of that is hampering growth [either in us or in our children]? What do we need to clean up so that maximum learning can take place? I know when I was homeschooling my kids, this time of year was always exciting and scary at the same time. We were trying to finish up the current studies and books which frankly, by this time of year, we would like to just get rid of--but we were already looking forward to next year and making plans.
I think sometimes we forget that homeschooling is NOT like marriage. You can change curricula, you can change tactics, you can re-group or try something different [maybe a different schedule, or a different math curriculum, or group kids together in a new way]. Maybe re-arrange work/study places or bedrooms in order to make a more growth-friendly environment.
Just like late winter and spring are great times to look through seed catalogs dreaming about summer gardens;
NOW is a great time to plan for our fall schooling. It is time to re-evaluate and decide what worked and what didn't and then make adjustments. You can clean out the old dead wood so that you can make room for new growth and learning in the fall.But, it might be that if you take the time to contemplate this past year, you may realize that it went very well--the kids grew in many ways and you need to keep on doing what you are doing. Perhaps you don't need to cut up the dead wood and burn it, because maybe you didn't have an ice storm and the new grass has never been healthier. If so--congratulations!
And, if you have questions feel free to contact me via email-jevely@sonlight.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Take care,
Jill
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