Archives for March 2012

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and Steady Mom

Have you ever just wanted to quit? Throw in the towel–hand in your resignation?

I have. Just a few weeks ago, in fact.

Maybe it had something to do with it being February, the notorious homeschool burnout season. Or perhaps the fact that my husband had two work trips to Asia with Love146 in the month, leaving me to single parent for several days. Maybe because I launched a new e-book, which has occupied mornings, evenings, and in-betweens for quite a while.

Or maybe we’re all just a bit stir-crazy, longing to see leaves on trees and flower buds once more.

Know what I mean? Have you ever experienced any of these burnout signs?
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Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and Steady Mom

Writing Monday’s post and reading through the comments (which are fascinating, by the way) this week started me thinking about some of the more philosophical reasons not to homeschool.

Here are a few:

• Homeschooling won’t work for the masses; it’s an exclusive lifestyle for the privileged.
• Homeschooling won’t work for me because I’m a single parent.
• I would love to homeschool, but our family can’t afford it; I have to work.

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Earlier this week I shared a guest post with readers at the blog Keeper of the Home and I wanted to share it with you as well!

An excerpt:

“Nobody ever said motherhood would be easy, yet I’m probably not the only one who has found that some seasons challenge us beyond what we anticipated. Did we really know what we were signing up for? Are monotony and the mundane meant to be our lifelong companions?

Though we may not say so, sometimes we miss aspects of our life before motherhood. I remember weekend days when my husband and I would look at each other, after sleeping in, and ask, “What do you want to do today?”

I’d welcome a bit of that boredom now. Or even just a full night’s sleep.

Thankfully we can take practical steps to highlight what we love about motherhood and shed some of those burdens we carry.”

Head here to read the rest.

The following is a guest post written by Amy of Raising Arrows.

I am a firm believer in raising children who can think for themselves.  I want my children to show initiative and integrity whether I’m there spurring them on or not.  My goal is to raise children who love to learn so much they naturally do it on their own.

However, I also know I cannot expect my children to become independent learners overnight and of their own volition.  They must first be dependent on me and my ability to teach them the skills they will need to gradually increase their responsibility level from simple tasks to entire subjects.

But how do you accomplish this?  What if you aren’t sure where to start?  What if your children are older and you feel as if you’ve wasted precious time?

It’s not as difficult as you think and you can start at any age!  Here are a few easy to implement suggestions to get your child on a track of independent learning.

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