Making sure YOU fit into the homeschool plan

Written by Kara Fleck.

I see you. You’re armed with planners, color coded lessons, book lists, and a calendar that has been filled in, scheduled, and sectioned off.

I spy the empty coffee cups, rainbows of sticky notes, and highlighted office supply store fliers: a new school year is dawning and you are ready for it.

Your learning spaces are practically humming with life as you prepare to give your children the tools they need for a bright, beautiful, habit stacked, loveliness cultivated, minds well-trained, all systems GO! academic year.

You’re rocking, you’re rolling, you’re ready! You’ve left nothing and no one out.

Or, have you?

Friends, did you remember to put your needs into the plan? Did you think of yourself?

You matter, homeschooling parent. And experience has taught me that nothing runs this whole train right off the rails like a burnt out educator.

With that in mind, here is a list of ideas to ponder as you plan the year ahead, a few brush strokes I think are worth picking and choosing from when painting the big homeschool picture:

Yearly

• Medical appointments: you take care of these things for your kids, but please schedule them for yourself, too.
  
• A  personal retreat: will you attend a conference? Take a planning weekend?
• A family vacation or staycation: even the most dedicated homeschooling families need a break.

Something else to think about:

• What are your top 3 goals as a homeschool teacher for the year ahead?
• What are your top 3 personal goals for the year?
• How will those goals affect your planning the year? Example: I want to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). What will that mean for our school schedule this November?

Monthly

• Do you need a date night? Mom’s Night Out? Visit with a friend?
• But don’t fill in every square on the calendar: allow for downtime.

Something else to think about:

• What are your top 3 goals as an educator this month? Examples: this month I hope to 1) attend the online Read Aloud Revival Master Class events, 2) read some of the Pinterest lesson plan posts I’ve been collecting, and 3) work on lesson plans
• How can you improve your space? This can be as major as finally tackling a home improvement or organizing project, or as simple as buying yourself flowers or some new pens.

Weekly

• Do you have at least one evening per week with no activities, meetings, or sports?
• Put some of your own picks on the library list and indulge in the time to read them. I find ignoring the laundry, pretending I don’t see any dust bunnies, and letting the dishes sit in the sink for an afternoon gives me extra reading time, but your mileage may vary.
• Give yourself a night off in the kitchen: an older child or spouse can be in charge of a meal, go out to dinner or order take out, or meal swap with a friend.
• Is there a day you can shut off the alarm and sleep in? Or get to bed extra early?
  

Something else to think about:

• Be mindful about the life you’re creating and think about your senses. What would you like to taste, see, hear, smell, feel this week?

Examples: a family recipe you’ve been craving, a hike at your favorite park, reading poetry aloud, burning incense, cuddling up with your favorite soft, cozy blanket while you read or crochet. How can you treat yourself?

Daily

• Are you getting enough sleep?
• Are you getting exercise?
• What about time outdoors?
• Are you drinking enough water?
• Are you doing something you LOVE every day?

Something else to think about:

• How comfortable are you? Is your desk chair comfortable? Do you have comfortable shoes for all of those nature walks? How can you improve your physical comfort level for the tasks you do each day?
• Is there a point during the day you can have a pause, or even a “full stop, rest” if you need to?

A full stop = a point where, if the day is looking crazy i.e. kids wake up sick, there’s an emergency, or just an “off” day is happening, as long as I get to this point, the rest of the day can go as needed and I’ll get back to normal tomorrow.

Those are my ideas as we head into this new school year. But, I’ll be honest and tell you I’m writing as much to myself as to all of you.

So, here’s the part where I want to pick your brain: what else would you add to this list?

How can we make sure we’re taking care of ourselves during the homeschool year?

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