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12 Comments

  1. Lynda Schultz
    February 17, 2014 @ 7:47 am

    It must be a sixth grade thing with math. I’ve read so many examples of how at this grade homeschoolers just needed to take a step back from this subject. That’s where we are. I’m so excited to see where we go from here. I haven’t given up on math, much to my son’s dismay, but I know there is a curriculum that will get him back on track.

    Patience is not a type A personalities best attribute. I’m learning though. My son loves computers, wants to be a programmer, game creator, so we are looking at books dealing with that. I noticed there is math with that, algorithms and so on. It will be interesting to see what the next few years has in store for him.

    I really enjoyed your article in Old Schoolhouse Mag, have read it several times to remind me to step back, stop, and regroup. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Heidi. They are so valuable.

  2. Heidi
    February 17, 2014 @ 8:48 am

    Lynda, you are so right that type A’s are not so well suited to patience! I struggle with that on a daily basis. I try to keep my own type A to myself so it doesn’t over shadow the kids and what their personalities are growing to be. Taking a step back to regroup was a huge help in getting my teenager and I to where we are now with math. While she doesn’t love it, she is capable in math.

    We did get over the yelling, screaming, fit throwing to a place where she can be successful in math and not be totally bogged down. She is even ahead of the game now! Thus taking the break to think things out and start over, even going back sometimes has not been a hindrance, in fact it has been a huge help!

    Thank you so much for your encouraging words Lynda. Writing about our experiences, and more personal homeschool struggles or failures is difficult for me but I know I am not the only one and thus hope to encourage others along their journey.

  3. Marianne
    February 17, 2014 @ 2:38 pm

    I’m loving all of these posts on lessons learned along the homeschool journey. I really believe that our struggles are just a way to help us rethink things and to find a better way. 🙂

  4. Heidi
    February 17, 2014 @ 2:43 pm

    Marianne, I too am enjoying all these lessons learned posts! I often get caught up in feeling as though I am the only one with a certain struggle. It is nice to see that others are learning as they go as well. To me these struggles are not failures, but bumps in the learning process that do help us in finding the right path for our children.

  5. Theres Just One Mommy
    April 27, 2014 @ 5:25 pm

    Flexible.
    I need to remember that as I start this journey! I know there is going to come a time when I feel the pressure…. Maybe I should print that out and hang it above our school area…

  6. Heidi
    April 27, 2014 @ 6:14 pm

    I always have to encourage myself to be more flexible. Sometimes my inflexibility squashes the joy out of things. 🙁 I think it is a great idea to print out words like this to hang in prominent places to remind us of the ultimate goals! 🙂

  7. corinne1989
    January 8, 2015 @ 10:00 am

    Homeschooling is a topic that comes up a lot among my military friends since bases aren’t always located in areas with good schools and because homeschooling is a great way to offer something stable and consistent to military children. I’m so glad to have found your article as a resource to share with them when they are considering this option.

  8. Heidi
    January 8, 2015 @ 12:33 pm

    Corinne, I am so please you found this article helpful. I too know military families who have found a comfort in the stability and consistency of homeschooling while having to move around a lot.

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  10. Latisha
    January 29, 2015 @ 2:42 am

    That is great advice. When I started homeschooling two and a half years ago, I was pregnant with my third child, had a three year old and homeschooling a First Grader. My second year of homeschool, I was pregnant again. Now my third year is even more challenging. I share about it on my blog. I’d love for you to read, offer some advice and encouragement. http://www.asklatisha.com/my-third-year-of-homeschooling-dynamics/
    Many blessings to you.

  11. Heidi
    January 29, 2015 @ 12:43 pm

    Thank you for sharing Latisha! Sounds like you have your hands full with some little ones underfoot!

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