{"id":1102,"date":"2014-12-29T20:20:20","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T03:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=1102"},"modified":"2015-07-04T07:34:23","modified_gmt":"2015-07-04T13:34:23","slug":"begin-with-the-end-in-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/begin-with-the-end-in-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Begin with the End in Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lovetosave1\"Ever feel like you are bumbling around amidst a three-ring circus in your attempts to homeschool? There is nothing like a new baby to restore a teacher\/mother\u2019s humility in the face of her own inadequacies! For our homeschool, this chaos repeats itself every few years with the advent of a precious new \u201cstudent.\u201d I have homeschooled in my robe nursing my baby while I have tried to teach math, correct papers and read stories:
\n\u201cMom, can\u2019t you hold the book still? I can\u2019t see the pictures.\u201d<\/em>
\n \u201cSorry, honey, the baby needs to be rocked.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Guilt inevitably settles in as I imagine the public school superintendent dropping by for a surprise visit: \u201cThis is school?!\u201d<\/em>
\nAny of this sound familiar?<\/em><\/p>\n

However, there is something about persevering with the matter of learning every day that convinces me that homeschooling is the right choice, even when it is far from perfection<\/strong>. Maybe it is not so far from perfection as we perceive it to be. What could be the perfect Unit Study if it is not watching your own mother morning-sick, uncomfortable, growing, waiting, and preparing, and seeing your own father helping, praying constantly for the well-being of the mother and child, serving tirelessly, taking on Mother\u2019s workload\u2014all in the anticipation of a new family member\u2019s arrival after a tenuous 9-month journey? Our older children were able to see their baby brother\u2019s delivery, and what awestruck expressions they had on their faces! Even though they were only present for the last few moments of his birth, they got a taste of the sacrifice required, the pain involved and also the joyous miracle of a new life! Then came the meals, letters, flowers, gifts, calls of concern, help of friends and neighbors: what an outpouring of love, and what an impression it made upon my children! \u201cLots of people care about us!\u201d<\/em> they said. It caused us all to recommit to helping people when they need us because it made such a wonderful difference to our family.<\/p>\n

The time I spent recovering laying in bed listening to my children was quite a revelation!<\/strong> What a time to assess how well I have taught my children to be self-sufficient: to cook a meal, do the laundry, care for the little ones, be patient, etc. Here\u2019s the real report card!<\/strong> If they can\u2019t take care of day-to-day living, it really doesn\u2019t matter very much if they know how to divide fractions, now does it? First things first.<\/p>\n

\"grandbaby_Oct2010\"Oh, the sweet vulnerability of babies! How dependent these little children are upon us, their parents, to teach them things of importance as they grow to the age of accountability. Seeing my little babe\u2019s helplessness instills a great desire in my heart to carefully consider how I invest my children\u2019s learning hours. Every homeschooler knows the frustration of \u201cthere is so much I want to teach them!<\/strong>\u201d and time seems so limited. School year seems to flow into school year, and when I stop and consider what we\u2019ve done, it doesn\u2019t all seem as vital as I hoped it would.<\/p>\n

So, with this new baby, I am taking the opportunity to see with new eyes what is really of value and how I can best teach it. I am setting some goals for what I want them to know when they leave my tutelage and just how we will arrive at that envied destination. The motto \u201cBegin with the end in mind<\/strong>\u201d is crucial to homeschool. With every-day crises, it is very easy to just survive instead of living your plan. Yet the years keep on circling around, and the moment is lost if we are not vigilant in aligning our activities with our goals.<\/p>\n

Here are the goals that I have prayerfully arrived at:<\/p>\n