It’s sooo easy to lose your joy when your school day is not going well and your student is not cooperating. Let me reassure you that alllll of us have days and sometimes weeks of feeling stuck and not much learning is taking place. But, the truth of the matter is, progress is happening, learning is taking place. Here are four things that help me when I need to bring back joy in my life.

What brings a smile to your face? Take time to do that! Is it reading a book, reading your Bible? Snuggling with your child? Cooking? Drinking a cup of coffee? Playing your favorite song? It doesn’t require a lot of time, but it is worth it to get recharged and “find your happy spot”.

Look back since the beginning of the year. Where do you see progress? Is your child reading better? Getting faster with their math facts? Writing more? Paying attention more? You may not be seeing huge leaps, but small steps bring progress too! This aways helped me to see that we really were further along than I thought. Think on the good things that are happening.

Take a Break- Everyone gets burned out and that includes you! If the math lesson is going badly, stop before you reach the point of no return and everyone is upset. Can you quit teaching math for the year, no. But, you can put it aside and come back to it tomorrow. If you have a younger student then you could work on another concept such as measurement and incorporate baking. If you have an older student you will need to continue on, but can you find a teaching video that could help explain the concept.

Reach out to someone who supports you. Truth: homeschooling is hard and there are days you need a pep talk. I hope you have someone and if you don’t, let me encourage you. You can do this, you know your child better than anyone else. You can challenge them to excel in ways a classroom teacher can’t since you know their strengths, areas they need to work on, and what motivates them. I believe in you and have great respect for you homeschooling.

Have a great week! ~Lisa~