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Dear KONOS, I recently joined this list again after a year or so break from Konos. I've been going through a period of a year or more where I've lost my energy and creativeness to teach my children. I have three boys, 17, 16, 15, three girls 11,8,4 (all w/July bdays) and a 20 mo old boy.
Believe me, I'm no super mom!! I really don't know where I'm heading with
this other than I ask for prayers, a pep talk, and any insights you have.
Has anyone gone through this dry period? We've been hsing 10 years now.
Frankly, I'm tired.
My Dear Suzy, Everyone who has ever taught homeschool, or any other school for that matter, has wanted to quit after a few years. A homeschool book was written about it years ago by Dr. Moore, called "Burn-out." I am pretty sure this is the correct title. Funny thing is a huge debate followed the book's release. Many of the super moms (all homeschoolers acted like super moms at that time i.e. you know, you had to spend two hours in prayer every morning at 5 AM, host 100 for home church in your living room ever Sunday, grow your own vegetables out in the garden, use nothing but home birth, no birth control, grinding your own wheat, baking your own bread, and breastfeeding your twins until they are 6!! And certainly, you would never wear anything but a denim jumper, never shave your legs, and heaven forbid - get that lipstick off!!)
Burn out is alive and real. Jessica went through a period where she focused on politics because she did not want to teach her kids. And naturally, everyone is burned out at the end of the school year. The more kids you have, the more chance you have to be drained dry. Stop, take stock of your life. Add in some R&R, then get on a good steady pace that works for you. Not trying to set the world on fire, just establishing a routine that is right for your family. Nothing is as encouraging as a little success!! The secret is to establish a pace and a routine that works for your family. It is essential to continue to be replenished. Cindy Pilling, KONOS Rep in FL, gave us a fantastic workshop at our Rep meeting in Texas this year she entitled the "Year of the Bucket." She told us that it is impossible to give to others, your hubby and children, if you have nothing to give. She handed us a bucket and asked if our buckets were full or empty. She poured water from her bucket into our empty buckets and told us that reading the Word of God was the first way to refill our buckets. When our buckets were full, we were fit for ministry and sharing ourselves with others. If our buckets were dry, try as we might, we could not help others around us who were in need. So . . . are your buckets empty or full? Are you reading the word? Are you thankful for the blessings God has given you and your family? You're on your way!! Lastly, it is so important to involve your husbands in your efforts to educated your children at home. The husbands are commanded by Scripture to be the primary teachers of the children, ("Fathers, teach these things when you rise up, when you lie down, when sit in your house, and when you walk by the way.") If we delegate this instruction to our wives, we are still responsible and accountable. Because of this responsibility, we must have a long term plan. It is essential for us as men, to have a vision for our children and to be keepers of the vision for the family. The wife cannot keep the vision for the family because she is too involved in the day to day operations of the educational process to be a visionary.
So men, what do you want your children to look like and be like when they
are 22 or 23 years old? What methods, books, curricula, teachers, missions
trips, etc. are you going to employ to get them to mark at age 22?
Wade Hulcy |
The really heated argument was whether there was such a thing as burn out or
were some of the weaker members of the flock just giving in to the ploys of
the evil one. Well, all those who said there is no burn out have quit
homeschooling because they burned out! (Just kidding - not all of them,
just a large percentage of them!)
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