Being Intentional in Our 2020-2021 Homeschool Year!

It's hard to believe that this school year marks our 10th year of homeschooling! Shouldn't this be some kind of milestone we celebrate?!

This commitment to being solely responsible for my kids' education isn't one we (my husband and I) take lightly. Many nights have I lain awake wondering if we're doing enough, if there's a better way to do school, if there might be some system that will transform our days into smoother running machine. haha. If I have learned anything over the last 9 years, it's that every year requires tweaking and adapting. I've also breathed a sigh of relief when watching teachers on Youtube basically expressing the same thing. It's not abnormal to feel like we are re-inventing things every single September. I don't think we ever "arrive" at knowing exactly how to do school, or what things will look like. And it's okay. For me, homeschooling has been very much like parenting. It's something I'm growing into, developing, and learning alongside my children.

Each year I have a house full of "new" students so-to-speak. They have each reached a new level of understanding, of ability, new interests have developed, and perhaps some attitudes/hormones have emerged. In having individual personalities, I want to approach each one as unique, with their own needs, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.

Reflecting on this upcoming year led me to make some mini-goals, or things I want to prioritize as more regular or do "on-purpose" things. Our days slip by so quickly...and I want to be intentional with a few activities that can make a big difference over the long-haul:

• Play games that everyone loves
• Make yummy foods
• Play music
• Read books together
• Make beautiful things
• Encourage / cheer each other on
• Take more pictures

These little goals aren't overly specific, but I find they help set the tone in our home. And when I have a list like this written down, reminding me to put the music on, or sit down and play a game with that kid who's wandering around.... I have an anchor. I don't have to wonder if I'm just letting time go by without some quality activity going on around our house. This short list is written on a sticky-note placed in my daily planner that we all look at all the time.  

Here's to another year of learning alongside my kiddos in this beautiful country of Madagascar that we call home for now.  :)