Thank you so much for being understanding. I knew you would. You are wonderful friends!
For those of you that homeschool, how do you keep yourself from comparing your children to others? How do you not compare what you are doing to what others are learning? Usually, I am really good about not doing this, but lately, I have been really bad about worrying I am not doing enough with them. Maybe all of us go through this from time to time. I know they are learning, I just wonder if they are learning enough. Maybe it is just because it is around the end of the "school year" and it is that time to evaluate how things have been working or not. So, how do you ladies keep yourselves from the comparison roller coaster? I could use your encouraging words, and maybe there is someone else reading this that could as well.
Blessings,
Rashel
Sharing my race of life in faith, fitness, food and family ~ 1 Cor 9:24-27
Yes, as we are human, we all have a temptation to compare ourselves to others. And I believe that it IS a temptation. We're all vulnerable...no matter what the subject or situation. So you are not alone.
ReplyDeleteI think it is especially natural to tend to compare ourselves in the first 2 or 3 years of homeschooling. For one thing, we see so many success stories and we want to be like the families who have been homeschooling for much longer than ourselves. As I am about to finish our 15th year of homeschooling, I look back and it seems to me that it was around our 3rd year that I finally realized that 1) I am the master of my curriculum, my curriculum isn't the master of me; 2) my children are MY children, the Lord put them in MY family b/c HE wanted them to learn what I have to offer; 3) Do I raise my children like my parents raised my brother and I? No. Do I raise my children like my friends raise theirs?...like my neighbors?...when it comes down to it, are my goals for my homeschool like that of other homeschool families? Then neither will my homeschool be like anyone else's!
WE ARE US! Not the other homeschool families!
One of the things I cover in one of my presentations is 'gaps.' We ALL have gaps. When you were in school and you and your best friend were in the same history class, did you always make the same grade? Very unlikely. We are ALL naturally better at some things than others...and so are OUR kids.
Now, here's something that is ENTIRELY my opinion and you are welcome to take it or leave it (as with everything else I said! :-)), but I also believe that when they get into high school, if they're not going to become scientists or engineers, then use your own discretion about what they will REALLY need. My personal opinion is that if they're never going to use calculus, then why ruin their GPA and/or cause them to dread their school day if it's for something they will NEVER use? If you want a higher math that they will use then try consumer math and/or accounting. If you want an higer science that they will benefit from for the rest of their lives then try biology; everyone needs to understand how their bodies work.
There are also TONS of great creation science resources on Ken Ham's www.answersingenesis.com. I use them all the time.
Sorry to make this a book...:-)...but I hope this helps.
Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Buckeyeblog
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/wannabeone
Hi Rashel,
ReplyDeleteI have been homeschooling for 11 yrs and I have loved every moment of it. At first I was into teaching all that the other schools taught and making sure that they knew as much as the other children knew. It was not a good thing to do.
Now I teach what I want to teach and what the children are interested in. It is good to remember that if they don't use it they will loose it. For this reason I will not teach advanced math to my daughters because they are not going to use it and they will loose all that I teach them. That will be such a waste of our time and our life.Now, there may come a time in their life when they need to know advanced math. Then they can learn it and since they will be using it they will retain it.There is always time to learn, we do not have to make sure that everything is taught by the time they are 18.
For me the comparing and worry is all a thing of the past. I know that God has plans for all of my children and He will make His plans happen.I also know that if a person has the desire to do something and it is in Gods plans, they will do.
I hope you will find peace in this area and take joy in teaching your children as YOU see fit:)