Inspiration

It seems that this time of year I always start to get a bit burned out.  I've had all year to accomplish things, but have I actually done anything?  I only have a couple months left to get my children where I want them, and they aren't close.  The winter is not quite over, and we are all getting sick of each other and are getting cabin fever.

The more I talk to other homeschool moms, the more I realize I am not alone. This time of year stinks.

I needed a pick-me-up.  That's why I felt so blessed to go to a forum where college students who were homeschooled talked with our group of homeschool moms.  These young adults were awesome.  There were about seven of them on the forum panel and they are going to Southern Virginia University.  They are all straight "A" students, and one is even the student body president.

They all had their individual story; from severe dyslexia to math deficiencies, however, they overcame all their hardships and feel blessed to have been homeschooled.


They shared what they believed to be advantages of homeschooling and what they wish had been different, and I thought it was important enough for me to record it here.

Homeschooling benefits:
*Work ethic/If I work hard, I can learn anything
*time to read
*life learning
*personalized
*you get to audit college classes early
*see big picture/how things relate to real world
*learn to ask questions-helps at college where you make your professors into your mentors
*you have confidence and are teachable
*meeting different people and learning about them personally
*you learn responsibility with home and school
*you don't have to take a class to learn
*reading classics and relating it to you personally, to history and to God.
*your parents are more likely to be patient with your learning curve
*if their's a subject you don't want to study, you can figure out why and adapt.
*there's the example of your parents learning

Things they wished happened were:
*The example of their parents learning in areas that their children had troubles.
*one felt like there wasn't enough structure
*you always feel like you want to be better
*writing technically was not taught in some of their homes
*they didn't always wake up at a certain time.

I loved soaking all this up, but what I really loved was to see these happy, balanced young adults telling me all my efforts are worth it, and that even if I think I'm not doing it all, everything will work out.  They will all learn how to read. They will all learn how to work, and think critically and whatever they are deficient in, they will be able to still succeed.

Thank you thank you Heather Burton for arranging such an awesome morning!