I'm sure you read that title and you are questioning why you even popped over here on my blog in the first place, right? 

However, the Lord has been tugging at my heart today with this question.  You know... if you were a teacher in a regular school?  One of my good friends is a 3rd grade teacher at a private Christian school.  When we talk, she often talks about prepping for lesson plans, etc.  She puts a lot of herself into teaching.  Granted, not all teachers in regular schools are as caring and committed as she is, but that's not the point. 

So, what IS the point, you ask?

Well, very often, I get up for the day and I wing it through our school time.  We get to science and I suddenly realize that I need copies of certain notebook pages.  We get in the middle of history and I realize it would have been nice if I had found a blackline map of the area we are studying.  And on and on.... anyone else do this?

So, the Lord has been tugging at my heart today... "Lisa, what if you taught other children in a classroom school setting?  Would you be prepared for THEM?"  Well, of course I would, right?!  Wouldn't you?  I mean, after all, you are EXPECTED to by the parents who are entrusting you with their children.  You are getting PAID by the school who expects you to have a lesson plan completed. 

So, why don't I do this in my own homeSCHOOL?  Yes, I know... I hear those of you saying that we don't want to bring the school classroom into the home.  We don't always sit at desks... the kids don't necessarily sit and listen to me lecture at them while I am standing up near a blackboard.  I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about BEING PREPARED... and giving my children AS MUCH (if not more) than I would give to stranger's children if I were an employed classroom teacher!

Maybe you don't have this issue in your home.  Maybe you are always prepared and ready to go each day when you wake up.  Lately, ... well, for a long time... I usually am not.  I just wing it. 

What's wrong with this? 

It creates STRESS.  I suddenly realize I need something I don't have.  Sometimes I can come up with it quickly.  Sometimes I have to put today's lesson off for tomorrow because I realized that I don't have what I need. 

It also creates distraction.  If I have to suddenly stop what we are doing and come into this little "office" of mine to make a photocopy of something, for some reason my children see this as an opportunity to play!  Think of that!  ha!  They start playing around while I'm in here making copies and then I have to round them up when I've got everything together.  Of course, then they don't want to stop playing and I'm frustrated with them for playing.  Well, if I had just had what I needed ready when I needed it, I could have avoided that whole scenario!

It's not a good example.  What am I showing my children?  I'm showing that it's okay to procrastinate... that they don't necessarily need to be prepared for work. 

I could give many "reasons" why I'm not prepared; however, in all honesty, they would merely be excuses.  God has given me ample time, means, and ability to prepare for our lessons.  It's not a great deal of work.  It really just comes down to ... uh.... laziness.  Selfishness on my part.  At the end of the day, I don't feel like doing more for school.  I want to be done. 

In reality, if I would just spend about 15 minutes at the end of our school time looking over the next day's lesson and then preparing what is needed, I would spare myself much stress the next day.

As I've thought about this today, I do see that one of the obstacles that keeps me from getting things prepared is lack of having a set place to put those items.  I could just make one more pile of paper on my desk, right?  However, I don't really want to do that.  So, this weekend I will prayerfully figure out away to organize our school stuff and my teacher stuff so that preparing for a lesson will be easily accomplished.

How about you?  If you were teaching in a regular classroom setting teaching other people's children, would you be more prepared? 

If you don't have this struggle, God bless you!  Leave me a comment and give me some helpful suggestions I can use in my home!  I'm willing and happy to learn from others! 

If, however, what I've written has tugged a little at your heart, don't despair!  Know that our God who has called us to this task of schooling our children will equip us for the task!  We just need to be faithful to seek His face and His wisdom on how to do that!  He will not call us to do something that He has not already made a way for it to be accomplished.  How can you be more prepared in your teaching?  What obstacles do you need to overcome or change in order for your school day to go more smoothly?

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much..." 

Luke 16:10a

~LISA