• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

A Better Way to Homeschool

What if we focus on character

  • Home
  • start here
  • Secret Sauce
  • YouTube for Homeschoolers
  • popular
    • How to Homeschool
    • First Things First
    • Preschool Printables
    • Homeschool Hacks
    • Mom Solutions
    • character training
    • Life Skills and Chores
    • K-8th Grade
    • Teens and High school
    • Great Resources and Ideas
      • k-2nd
      • 3rd-5th grade
      • 6th-8th grade
      • High School
  • Homeschool Must Haves
  • Creative Lesson Plans
    • paper project for kids- VIDEO Tutorials
    • paper projects for kids- Printable craft
    • Paper Projects for Kids-
  • Homeschool Gear
    • Homeschool Must Haves
  • Shop
    • NEW!!
    • By Grade
      • pre-k
      • k-2
      • 3-5th
      • 6-8th
      • High School
    • Lesson Plans
    • Earth Day
    • Drawing for All ages
    • Favorite Curriculum Sets
    • Hebrew for Homeschool
    • Homeschool Secret Sauce
    • Music For Homeschool
    • Preschool FUN
    • Raising Leaders
    • Super Science FREE
    • life skills
    • Bundle
    • Holidays
    • TpT store
    • Math
    • free
    • bible studies
  • About Me
    • Your Downloads
      • My Downloads
      • Members Only
You are here: Home / popular / How to Homeschool When that First homeschool Year is a Flop

How to Homeschool When that First homeschool Year is a Flop

December 8, 2018 By Bekki 2 Comments This content may contain affiliate links.

Know someone this will bless?
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Send To Devices Send

Sifting through my emails over coffee reading through questions form homeschool moms.

  • How do you get kids to read?
  • How do I teach kids respect for others and themselves?
  • How do teach a child to write?

And then my heart sunk. This one wasn’t a question, but an exhale of defeat from a mom who just began my free Homeschooling with confidence class.

 “My homeschool year was a flop”.

In the quiet of the day when my entire house is still sound asleep and my coffee is still hot, I want to look this young mom in the eyes and smile.

“Breathe… You’ve got plenty of time.”

Related: Our first year of homeschooling isn’t what we expect

We all have BIG expectations for our homeschooling journey.

While expectations are where we begin to help us set our master homeschooling goals, they can easily become stumbling blocks perfectly designed by our own hearts to make us trip and fall flat on our faces.

You smile and nod, when an older homeschool mom says, “focus on the heart of your kids, spend extra time building their character, and enjoy their company. Mama, relax about academics.”

#homeschoolmom

…but then like awake at night discouraged, as I did.

I worried because

  • all five of my sons were delayed readers
  • my youngest son didn’t learn to read until he was ten years old
  • my 15-year old couldn’t hold a pencil correctly until he was about 13 because his fingers are freakishly long
  • one of my sons spent more time in the hospital than doing “school” between kindergarten and 2nd grade (at least it felt that way)
  • my oldest son hated history until eighth grade
  • one of my kids would sound out words like this: C-A-T… then he’d say “dog!”

But my husband and I kept our eyes on our Master Homeschool Goals, taught them how to be a part of our family-team, concentrated on their heart and character, and pressed forward. I searched for grey haired successful homeschool moms who had kids that made my parenting heart drool and I pressed forward.

Character and attitude first, ABCs and 123s second.  Every day for over 20 years.

#homeschooltips #homeschool

Do you know where all five of my boys are now?

  • All five are ahead of their peers
  • My youngest, most delayed reader devours books by the dozen and is writing an epic novel
  • two of the boys are in college and close to their bachelor degrees
  • one is a gifted musician who is writing the score for his brother’s screenplay (Yes, a different brother)
  • All of them are the first to arrive, last to leave kind of helpers
  • They’re all kind, compassionate, stubborn, hard-working, diligent, men who will make amazing husbands one day (The oldest is married)

We are nothing special. 

The kids are all “normal” sinners like you and me who sometimes fight and complain, but we see the fruit from years of focusing on their foundation.

It works mama.

Focus on heart, attitude, and character as a priority over academics and the ABCs and 123s take care of themselves along the way.

#homeschoolmom #homeschool #homeschooltips

I’ve had “flop” years in homeschooling, just like my student, have you?

This is me taking a minute to smile and to let you know, it’s gonna be ok.
You have time.

Focus on the BIG things first and relax and enjoy your kids.


Print this free homeschool mom reminder.

This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it!

Here is a sneak preview…

the homeschool mom

Download Your Free Printable

  1. Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas!
  2. Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.
  3. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
the homeschool mom
Know someone this will bless?
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Send To Devices Send

Filed Under: Blog, popular, sticky Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool mom

Previous Post: « God is in Control in the Beginning, Middle and End of the Story
Next Post: 7 Things You Need to Get in Order to Have a Peaceful Home »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nada says

    December 15, 2018 at 7:42 am

    Act, my first year was only the last 3 months of the 8th grade. She wouldn’t go to school at all and had us facing Truancy Court the 1st of March. I had gotten the homeschool approval just 2 weeks before. Praise Praise God, all charges were expunged!
    My gr’dtr went head first into her studies and at the end of the year got an excellent review.
    This year, 9th grade, she’s telling her therapist, I’m just not motivated; tho she wants to be a mental health worker. Her reviewer was disappointed with the 1st quarter work but accepted it and expects better next time.

    Reply
    • Bekki says

      December 15, 2018 at 7:55 am

      Praise the Lord you are able to love on her through these gauntlet years. Kids really struggle when they can’t see the “point” of their studies right at the same time their hormones are in high gear. I find those years to be the most challenging for kids and parents alike. The whole time I was reading your comment I kept thinking about a story of a little girl failing to thrive in school. Worthy to listen to this TED talk and then to let that marinate in your mind as you consider your daughter… https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Bekki,

A professional Nerf Buller Dodging Homeschool Mom of five sons!
My passion is to help homeschooling moms educate their kids from the inside out.
Read More…

Recent Posts

  • Rowing for Kids! An Amazing Opportunity
  • Color with Me EVENT- Homeschool Mom Encouragement
  • Crazy Things People have said to you about Homeschooling
  • 35 Homeschool Fun Friday Ideas
  • Great Homeschool Curriculum Workbooks
  • 100 Easy Earth Day Activities for Families just like Yours
  • Protected: Homeschool Secret Sauce Mini-Booklet Activity
  • Encouragement for Homeschool Moms
  • How to Make Homeschool More Fun?
  • Adorable Homeschool Bumper Sticker

© 2017 A Better Way to Homeschool
 · Contact · Disclosure and Ad Policy
 
· Terms of Use
 ·