Public School Teacher Turned Homeschool Mom

I’m an educator by trade.  I taught in the public school system for about six years before making the transition to homeschooling.  Coming from the classroom to teaching my own kiddos has proven to be a blessing and a curse challenge.  

The blessings are pretty obvious and almost go without saying—staying home with my kids, teaching my kids, playing with my kids, getting to stay around my house (huge plus for a homebody like myself), freedom to plan my days how I want, freedom to stop and take a phone call, more freedom in general, and so on and so on...

The challenge—too much freedom! Did that statement catch you off guard?  Hear me out.  In order to stay balanced, I’ve had to make some adjustments to remain focused throughout the day and keep from letting petty tasks distract me from more important things.  Basically, I force myself to pretend I’m headed off to work each morning that way the less pressing chores don’t pry me away from my important task of educating my children.  This can be easier said than done, but I’m trying.  Unfortunately, I fall into the bad habit of telling myself that my days should look very similar to my days in the classroom--measuring my kiddos' progress to that of their public school friends, being too rigid with scheduling, etc.

I kid you not, when I started this adventure, I broke out the curriculum maps, typed out objectives, printed off schedules, had my kids dressed all snazzy, and used terms like bathroom break, recess, independent reading time, enrichment...you get the picture.

Little did I know I was setting myself up for failure—unrealistic expectations have a way of doing that! 

I’m not saying that having a daily agenda, schedule, and planning are things of the past.   I think for any homeschool mom those have to be in place, especially to stay balanced.  But I took planning and scheduling to the extreme and we were all so overwhelmed that I wondered if I was cut out to be a teacher period.

 My classroom minus the 28 sixth graders--I loved those days!

Still, I’m learning.  I’m learning to be balanced.

•  I’m learning that I set the agenda and sometimes things come up, but we have the opportunity to set our own pace rather than moving on before mastery is established.
• I’m learning that my kids don’t have to “look the part” each and every day.  That’s one of the pros to being in our own home.
• I’m learning to forget about the clock from time to time.  Ahem…So much easier said than done for this type “A” chick!
• I’m learning to chase rabbits and relish in “teachable moments”—something that was highly discouraged during my time in the classroom.  STICK TO THE CURRICULUM is a thing of the past and I don’t miss it!
• I’m learning to lighten-up and have more fun.

 My classroom minus my first grader and preschooler--I cherish these days!

So the transition from being a public school teacher to teaching my own children has not been without a few hiccups, but we’re getting there—we’re only just beginning!

Balance!  It’s needed to be a homeschool mom and I’m working on it day by day!

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Up next:  Balancing Morning Routines

For more posts in this series, 31 Days of Balance as a Homeschool Mom, click HERE.