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Suggestions to Combat Homeschool Burnout

Jan. 4, 2006

We hear a lot today about burnout in homeschooling.

 

….. I lie in bed at night and dread the thought of starting school the next day….. A life of drudgery is not what I envisioned a few short months ago… It’s such a struggle to get the kids to do anything.

 

The only time I disliked homeschooling was from 1980-83, the first three years that we formally homeschooled and were following a rigid correspondence type curriculum. There was a pile of workbooks to get through each day, a long list of subjects to check off on my notepad, a schedule to keep, and all that in addition to the normal things which must be accomplished in the home, such as changing diapers, cooking and cleaning.

 

By 1983 I was so thoroughly tired of the schooling routine, and our oldest had become so reluctant to do school, that we threw out the school-in-a-box, and the Lord began to show us a different way. The first change I made was to start reading to the children — not just the baby picture books (although we still read those), but the long chapter books — the books I wanted to read, like Treasure Island, the works of Jules Verne and the Little House series by Laura Ingles Wilder. At the beginning, the babies didn’t get anything out of the reading, but the older ones loved it. Yet I suppose the person who loved it the most was me. Through the years I read to them all the books I had always wanted to read but never had the time, and I certainly paid no attention to grade level. I read to my own grade level. And they learned to love reading because they saw how much pleasure it gave me.

 

I soon learned to apply that same philosophy to other areas as well and pursued an education for myself, bringing the children along side me. Many days were spent in libraries — both local and university level — with the children helping me do research on our current topic and the baby playing beside us in a laundry basket (strollers weren’t allowed). We must have been a strange sight to the college students. Yes, we did the grammar and math like we were supposed to, but we majored on projects — history and science projects, learning writing skills and much more in the process.

 

If you are not enjoying the adventure of homeschooling — and it truly is an adventure — but are rather seeing it as a job which must be endured, perhaps you might consider changing your perspective. Look on homeschooling as primarily an opportunity to educate yourself and bring the kids along side.

 

Laurie

| | Post A Comment

Jan. 4, 2006 - Great Advice!

Posted by KayinPA

Thanks for sharing this. Especially this time of year when burnout is so common! God Bless.

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Jan. 5, 2006 - It's so great to find you!

Posted by PRMama

I was cruising around HSB looking for homeschool company bloggers and I was so glad to find your blog! I love what you said about burn out. As I have relaxed and let life guide us through some projects, we have really enjoyed things and my boys are continuing to learn well!

I just got Fallacy Detective to do with my 13 year old. I think my husband and I are going to have a great time learning right along with him!

Happy Homeschooling!

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Jan. 9, 2006 - Awesome!

Posted by pro3128

Thank you for this entry. If you don't mind, I'm going to put a pointer to it in my blog.

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Jan. 10, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by HSBCompanyBlog

The Carnival of Homeschooling is now posted with your entry in it!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/66240/

Be sure to stop by and check it out. In addition, we'd love for you to blog about it on your blog. Don't forget to enter to win prizes everyday and a Grand Prize on Saturday!

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Jan. 10, 2006 - I had to smile!

Posted by Beth

You've just described our *homeschooling method* to the Tee!;-) My husband and I often joke that we're homeschooling ourselves! The kids just get to come along! LOL! Maybe this is why I've never experienced the burnout that I've heard so many others tell of...
Thanks for sharing, you've articulated my own thoughts so well.

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Jan. 10, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by JavaMama

THANK YOU................I desperately needed to hear this tonight. I was actually thinking about our dreaded day tomorow, thank you for challenging my thoughts and attitude about my wonderful duty of schooling my children! You have lifted me up and made me look at tomorow with a new and brighter perspective. Blessings*

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Jan. 11, 2006 - Thanks for sharing this!

Posted by feistytrio

Very inspiring. :-)

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Jan. 11, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by HomeSchooling4Jesus

***Look on homeschooling as primarily an opportunity to educate yourself and bring the kids along side***

Great perspective! January is the time we all need to hear this. :)

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Jan. 11, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by maggieraye

Hi Laurie, Just stopping by the other Carnival goers to see what's up where they are. Wow! Burn out, hmm, I must be blessed. I'm not sure I've felt it -- of course, we're just entering the highschool years, so my turn may be around the corner. Maybe it's because I loved to "play school" as a child, that I was a teacher "professionally" before I came home or because I'm the biggest student in my class. I have learned so much with my children that I missed somewhere along the public education trail. It's good to know that this is a problem for others though. My biggest problem is knowing when to "stop" somedays. My 14 yo has gotten good at giving me "the look" that says, just let me enjoy this and stop trying to teach me -- maybe she is suffering from burn out! lol!

Thanks for sharing, this truly was a blessing!

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Jan. 11, 2006 - thanks

Posted by chickadee

thanks for your perspective on burnout. it hasn't happened to us, i think, in part, because we do a lot of what you suggest (a lot of reading, a lot of just finding out about stuff), but i know a lot of people would enjoy reading this.

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Jan. 16, 2006 - Lingering questions...

Posted by Anonymous

Thanks for writing on this vital topic. I'm blogging about this at my place, http://rivendellwis.blogspot.com/, where I raise some questions about achieving my educational goals with 6 children in our home school. I have taken a relaxed, "more or less" Charlotte Mason approach in the past, then regretted it when it seemed our older daughter wasn't well-prepared for high school level work. Our approach now is Ambleside/Charlotte Mason, which includes so many great books and subjects of study that I struggle greatly with balancing it all. I'm interested in further discussion and thought on this.

I think we teaching moms also need to take conscious steps to safeguard our own physical, emotional and spiritual health. The "burn-out" that took me by surprise forced me to see this.

In grace,
Colleen in Wis.

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Jan. 21, 2006 - Wow!

Posted by Testimony

So, you can do classical from a relaxed method? I am having a uncomfortable experience with classical right now. I hope that I am not misinterpreting this article.
Blessings to you!

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Jan. 21, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by LaurieBluedorn

There are different ways to apply classical education to homeschooling. Here is an article you might like to read:
https://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/ten_to_do_before_ten.htm

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