Is Hassle- and Worry-free Schooling Possible? Part 2

Our Lord doesn’t want us to live a life of worry.  But what a long time companion it has been to us!  Even while Christ walked the earth, He strove to remind the people to shun it.

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Matt 6:25-27 (emphasis mine)

But we cannot deny the tremendous responsibility we bear when we decide to homeschool.  It can be overwhelming to think of all the things we need to teach before our children leave our homes.  When we try to grasp the vastness of this task, it can intimidate even the best of us.  But our Lord gives us direction.  Later in Matthew we read:

³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This verse has always evoked a rather jaded chuckle from my depths.  It is maybe a little too true.  But if we could follow this wisdom, could we actually school with joy—could my family look like those glossy homeschool catalog pictures?

I confess that I fail my kids miserably with my own attitude.  I worry about the calendar, about squeezing in every Language Arts element, about giving them enough ‘elective’ style subjects to make them competitively well rounded.  I set goals and standards and give myself deadlines.  When we start to get close to those deadlines and the goals or standards are still past the horizon, I become one mean mom.  No photos, please!

I can become so frantic that my kids have even become afraid to ask me for help.  I am so ashamed to type that, but it is true.  I lose sight of why I am schooling because I … well, I am not sure why.  Because I like check boxes, I like graphs and plans and standards.  Life really isn’t that clean and trouble brews when my plans become more important than the little people I am schooling.  Sometimes it seems I defeat my purpose in homeschooling by homeschooling!  How dizzying.

When I find myself on the ground, shaking my spinning head, I have a couple of choices.  I can leave that behind—repent—and get back on track: school my kids with joy for learning.  Or I can get on my knees and start digging a hole, because just being on the ground wasn’t lesson enough!  I can beat myself up for being a bad mom, I can beat myself (and my kids) up for not learning fast enough, or finishing that book on time.  I can increase the pressure to perform, power through, get it done.

I can’t say I have never made choice B.  The blessed thing about this life the Lord has given us is that He is always there, waiting.  There isn’t a point where I can’t stop digging that stinking hole and reach up for a hand out.  I can always start again.

I do think we can school without hassle and worry.  How?  By doing today what can be done today.  By practicing the daily discipline of knowing our children.  When we know them, we know how hard to push for a challenge, and when to say that the calendar needs to be thrown out and this kid needs a hug.  Don’t lose sight of the big picture because of your big picture.   Have a little faith, show patience, have perspective and laugh!