Reflecting On Our Last Two Years of Homeschool

We finished our 5th-grade year and now we are in between grades. At the end of the school year I like to reflect on how that year went for us. I thought I would share my top three reflections.

1. Breaks are a necessity. 

Not only would I get burnt out having school every day but so would my child. I didn't realize it in the first year. I wanted to keep going on the same days that public schools were in session. Now I realized that those kids and teachers are probably burnt out before they get a winter or spring break. The winter break where I live is only 2 weeks and the spring break, if they are lucky is 3 days. They do get off federal holiday's and once a month there is an in-service day. That was just not long enough for us. It is okay to take breaks to avoid that oh so wonderful burnt out feeling. 

When we would take a nice break, my kiddo was able to refocus. That is why this year we are implementing year-long schooling, starting July 6th. I am hoping this will help us spread it out more evenly. 

2. You are home, not in a classroom. 

The first year and for the first half of this year I still acted like we needed to be in a classroom. We are at home, so the rules are probably more relaxed than they are in a classroom. Once I started to relax and go at our own pace everything went much more smoothly. We would even take our schoolwork outside just to change up the scenery on nicer days. 

3. Find the curriculum that works for you. 

Oh, this one I am still struggling with. It is okay to change your curriculum. If it doesn't work, try something else. We still have yet to find a writing/grammar curriculum that my son likes. We have tried two so far. I probably should have switched in the middle of the year when he would complain because he hated writing so much. This year we are trying our third. I am hoping doing a video/online program as we do for math will help. I am crossing my fingers and dotting my I's that we finally found a curriculum that he likes. Also, if you have a curriculum that works, I say stick with it and don't branch out. "Why break what doesn't need to be fixed," is what my Grandma has always said. 

What are some of the changes you are making to your 2020-21 school year? How has your homeschooling changed over the years?