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So, you feel like the school year was a failure. I have been there and I want you to stop and ask yourself these three things.
So, you feel like the school year was a failure. I have been there. Believe me. I felt that way this year! Yes, that’s right. Even though I shared smiling pictures of our homeschool days, deep down I felt like a failure.
Why?
We had no fun, hands-on projects this year.
My kids worked independently, a LOT!
Some of our goals were not met.
We ended the year before finishing the curriculum.
I have felt like that in past years too. There was the year one of my kids scored lower on testing than I thought she should. There was the year my husband was laid off 3 times in one school year. Our schedule was thrown out the window most of that year. There was the year I had a newborn and the year I had no clue what I was doing.
But, despite all of that, I have NEVER really had a failure of a school year. And, you haven’t either! If you think you have, I want you to stop and ask yourself these three things.
How do the kids think the year went?
If you ask my kids how this year went they will tell you it was awesome! Why? Because they truly believe it was.
Take the time to ask your kids how the school year went, and really listen. Maybe there are things they didn’t like. Take note of those. But, also focus on the things they think went well. Chances are your kids have no clue that you think the year was a failure, so why should you?
What DID You Accomplish?
When I stop and think about all we didn’t do, I get discouraged. So, instead, I choose to focus on what we did do! We completed many items on our bucket list, the boy learned to write his name, the girls learned to work independently, and we completed our mandated hours and days.
I encourage you to look back through the year and remember all that you and your family did accomplish. Maybe there was more life learning going on this year. A child learned to ride a bike? Did one learn cursive? The alphabet or how to read? Maybe a few goals were met instead of a lot. Regardless, count your accomplishments and don’t focus on what wasn’t completed.
What Did You Deal With This Year?
For me, I went through my first battle with depression and had a rough year emotionally. There were many days when I could barely make myself get out of bed, and complete work. So, my kids worked independently. A lot more than I would have liked. But, we trudged through, and surprisingly their test scores were way higher than we expected.
Maybe you moved your family to another home, had a baby, dealt with job losses, a death, or illness. These are all major issues and mom, you need to remember to give yourself grace. These issues do not make our school year a failure.
And if this was your first year homeschooling, I encourage you to KEEP on going! It takes at least 2-3 years of homeschooling to truly get into a groove or routine. So, don’t give up now. You can do this!
Dear Mom, if you feel like the school year was a failure, I encourage you to give yourself grace. Take the summer off. Remember why you began homeschooling and remember that the school year was NOT a failure!
What advice would you give a homeschool mom who feels like the school year was a failure?
For daily spirtual encouragement for the homeschool mom, I highly recommend this!
You’re welcome!! Hope the rest of your school year goes well 🙂
Hugs! Thanks for the encouragement! I try to focus on all the things we DID accomplish and I find that it really helps.
Oh, it sounds like you have had a time of it! Prayers that THIS school year gives you some much needed relaxation.
And yes, you are correct in the fact that our kids WILL learn. Whether it be through you tube, audio books, or something else. Kids are learning everyday and if something interests them they will find a way to know more!
Thank you for stopping by!
Great post. You have littles and mine are all teens. When mine were little I could look at all the crafts and feild trips and know they learned something.
Two years ago my mil passed away, my oldest daughter graduatex and moved all the way across the world and I shut down. My second daughter basically taught herself for the whole year and the other three discovered a bunch of youtube channels and netflix shows that they learned from.
This year, we had tons of plans to get back on track and then had a car accident so we needed physio and a ton of health care, which means driving since we’re an hour away from everything, so, again, youtube, audio books, lots of reading. My second daughter basically graduated herself.
I hope next year is better; but i am also dealing with health issues, so it may still be personalized choice for the kids.
My third daughter figures in the last two years, she has read about 600 books. She has also made a quilt, three afghans, and several scarves, toques, etc. The boys are crazy smart about science, guns, ammo, house and yard maintenence, so we will see where God takes them.
All the best in your future.
Oh, Jamie, you made by day. Prayers to you! When my boy was a toddler school was SO hard! My girls were K and 2nd, and so many times we just barely hung in there. It will get better. I promise!
Wow! Such a simple post that gets the point across in so few words. Thankyou!! This was my first yr. My sons were pre k and k. We started off great and once my demanding daughter (now 19 months) became mobile it got very difficult. I felt so drained all the time. I eventually realized I too was battling with some kind of anxiety/depression. Though this wasn’t new for me being a homeschooling mom of three was. I have had so many days were I thought my kids would be better off in public school. I’m still struggling with this:( so, again, I thank you for sharing and encouraging:)
Your welcome! I truly believe that a school year cannot be a failure 🙂
I probably need to do a recount and see what all we DID accomplish this past school year. We school through the summer and are just “starting up” again this week, after I left my job and then my MIL passed away so the restart got delayed. I can’t wait to get started again but, I must admit that I feel like the last year has been a big failure. I need to do a recount. Thank you for sharing!
Yes it is SO hard. We just need to try to remember that someone else’s best, is not ours 😉 Thank you for your encouraging words!!
thank you for honesty & encouraging words! It’s hard in this Pinterest perfect world to not feel behind or less than. Prayers for you-I know depression is not easy. God bless!
Exactly, thank you! It makes you put things in perspective, and not be so hard on yourself 🙂
This is good encouragement. It’s always better to focus on the positive and realize how much we really DID accomplish, rather than beating ourselves up for what we didn’t get to do. Thanks for the reminder!