A Typical Day {Ain’t No Such Thing}

I'm not the kind of person who easily sticks to a schedule. I get distracted by all kinds of things…most of them are thoughts and ideas running through my own head. Yet, with this homeschooling gig, I've been trying to stay on track and be more structured. And for the record, I've been doing a really good job, if I do say so myself.

Then, the other day, I was telling a friend about our "typical" day with exception to Tuesday when we go to art and chess and Wednesday when my parents teach the kids and Thursday when we go to the Y for swim and gym and Friday afternoons when we head out for mini adventures and those days we go to the nature center for class or go to musical or theatrical performances and on and on and on. Later, I realized we don't have what you'd think of as typical days. Every day is a bit different.

This is not to say that we don't fill our days with learning. We do. It's simply that we don't have the same schedule each day. Even still, we do have a schedule.

Each evening, I meticulously write out a schedule of our next day. Sometimes we switch the order of things, and there are times we stop to get out a map or do an experiment or look up a question that has popped into someone's head or play a game or take a 10 minute Minecraft break, but we always get our "work" done.

And I'm coming to see that this is the beauty of our schedule, the best part of homeschooling, for me, at least…there is no typical day, no monotonous, pointless, redundant schedule.

And I see the progress my kids are making. I see the gears moving and the light bulbs turning on. We are learning together. We are also adjusting to spending almost 100% of our time together.

Everyone keeps asking me how things are going. And I think it's going well...this has been my standard answer, but I think it's true.

We all still have a lot to learn…in the books and outside of the books, so to speak, and only time will tell whether this is a success or not.

The bottom line is that we all have to do what works for us and our families. I know when it's all said and done, I will have learned much from this experience, and be glad for it.

Life is always going to throw you curve balls. This much I have learned in my 41 years of life. So, I'm doing my best to make lemonade with all those lemon-shaped curve balls coming my way.

I have no doubt in my children and their abilities and their potential to be amazing, creative, caring, giving, entertaining, game-changing adults. The only doubt I have is my abilities to cultivate all of this potential. But I do have faith and curiosity and resources and smarts. So, I'm doing my darndest. And so far, I'm loving all of our wildly varying "typical" days. Over and out…

Anna

Comments

[Darcie]

I didn't know you are home schooling! Sounds awesome, and it sounds like you guys are figuring it out! Good for you!
Here's to a great year ahead!

[Aunt Beth]

Sounds like you are all doing great. what a fun way to learn.

[Sally]

Keep up the good work. Sounds like you and the kids are doing a fantastic job! I take my hat off to you!