After almost completing 10 years, does SisterT know ANYTHING about burnout? I betcha she does! In fact, burnout has been battled on more than one occasion in her hsing career with her children.
I can say that burnout is something we really don't want to talk about as homeschoolers~BUT most of us have experienced it, and if you haven't, I'd say that it could be coming. It's so common that I'm really thankful for this opportunity to share how I've dealt with it and what new change is up for my family.
Recently I came to the conclusion that something wasn't working well in our homeschool. CALL IT ME~I wasn't really wanting to work anymore, and then after I had some heart to heart with the kiddos, I realized that they too were having some misgivings. We all were thinking about the future and our chosen path of homeschooling through high school~and getting SCARED. Fear was really gripping my daughter who desires to be THE TOP of her class~but with no class~how could she achieve this? She had no peers with which to compare or compete. We can say it's silly, but my daughter was really struggling with fear of inadequacy. I COULD tell her a zillion times how talented she is and how well I believe she is doing, but it did nothing. NOTHING. She was the one who was concerned about getting into college~AND WANTS COLLEGE~soooo this Mama had some soul searching~AND thinking to do.
Was this JUST a case of my burnout and my desire to 'quit' or revamp what we are doing or was this a valid and truly wanted change from our chosen path of education? I began praying too. I believe these decisions are best loaded into the hands of the Heavenly Father, and so I began asking in earnest that He intervene and show us His way. I began calling around looking for options too. Did we want to dual enroll in a local college, begin a high school career track technical school program, look into GED stuff, enroll in an online school~enroll in the local public high school~W H A T ? ? ? was up for my family?
After researching the options, and discussing them with my children~WE MADE A HUGE CHANGE. We will be beginning second semester in an online program call 'virtual academy' in just a few short days. This program will mean that we are still homeschooling, but that many of the responsibilities of prep and materials is now provided by the school, and my kiddos are essentially a part of a bigger picture than our little homeschool. In the end, this program is certified for a HS diploma, and there will be no encumbrances concerning university acceptance based on their high school careers. WHEW~and they are giddy with excitement! I am RELIEVED. I am no longer juggling all the responsibility of their future in my hands soley~Hub and I called in the BIG GUNS by giving this over to a program of study.
Now, this obviously is the first time we've met such issues with such measures~but let me say that the burnout of the past~the stressors of walking this path have been dealt with using similar methods.
I have prayed over burnout many times. BEGGED God to do what I could not~and taken breaks when we all needed them. The flex of our schedule helped this greatly. Give yourself much needed breaks, but when it's school time, hold their feet to the fire~YOU WON'T BE SORRY! I've been a tough teacher~and I'm praying that it will pay off~I've also researched before all of our options. Whether or not you ever take a new path, it's always good to know what's out there imho. Knowing options makes the present choice more satisfying~we like knowing what we are doing is BEST for us~and that we made a choice! Also I talked to my kids. Hearing their heart on these matters is important. If your child is 'telling' you something with either words or behaviors~listen up! It will never hurt to hear their heart's cry on these matters. A child may not have the words, but their behavior and attitudes can sure tell us plenty~if we listen! And lastly I believe that we're forging onward despite fears and misgivings in trust of God that we are doing what will ultimately please Him. It's a tough world out there and preparing our children is a HUGE deal~but giving it to God in prayer and trusting Him along the way will give satisfaction and a peace of mind that avoidance by shipping our child off could never accomplish~
Soooooooo if you are experiencing this dreaded condition of burnout, give it to God and take a break to regroup. Then you will have clarity of mind to go back and HIT IT HARD once again. Remember that commercial years ago~'CALGON~Take ME away!!!" as the woman reclines in her bubble bath?? WE MOMS NEED those kinds of moments in our lives from time to time~and hey, pull out a nice scented candle for a nice effect~mmmmm.....
How ARE you beating burnout?
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