Trees

Jeremy got a perfect score on his math test this morning (as a side note, he was up just before 7 A.M. to get a jump on his schoolwork!).  Yes, this is something to praise and he should certainly be proud.  But, why blog about it?  And what on earth does it have to do with "Trees"????

Be patient, Dear Reader; I'll make my case my blog's end.

I'm in my eighth year of homeschooling.  Wow!!!!  I've completed seven years of educating my kids at home.  I say "Wow" not at all because I'm patting myself on my back for this.  It's just that it seems like I just started yesterday......where has the time gone?  And why don't I have more figured out with this homeschooling thing?  One would think I'd be better at this.....but, alas, I've learned it doesn't quite work that way.

In fact, I would liken my homeschooling-mama journey with my Faith journey, my walk with Christ.  These two things aren't at all like learning to ride a bike, or finishing a Sudoku puzzle.  With the bike and the puzzle, there's a goal, an end in sight.  With patience and perseverance (and, unfortunately perhaps, after many scrapes and tears), one soon is pedaling away down the street amidst cheers and applause from mom and dad; big grin ensues from child.  Then that skill is with the child forever and ever.  So, too, with the puzzle.....think hard, analyze, erase (perhaps), and lo and behold, you have the whole grid filled in with numbers and a sense of accomplishment follows.  Task done.  On to the next thing in your day.

Homeschooling and following Jesus???  Not so much.

We never "arrive" with homeschooling or our Faith-walk; they are never "done".  They both are journeys with varying "goals", but we're always tweaking, we're always trying to do better.  And, boy oh boy, could I do better with both!!!!  I guess one could say that the end-goal with my homeschooling is to graduate my kids successfully.  This is true (if I don't first enroll them in school in a fit of frustration!).  :-)  The process by which I help them receive their diploma is not clear-cut, though; there's not going to be an ah-ha moment where I get to then sit back and be done, and watch them learn.  Always tweaking, always evolving.....And with my Faith?  Well, perhaps that's better left for another blog post....

"Wait....what about those trees???"

Well, there's one thing I am certain of in this homeschooling thing.  One key to success for any homeschooling Mama is to strike the right balance between the forest and the trees.  Have I found the right balance???  HA!!!  Surely you jest.  Are you kidding?  Heck no!  And I probably won't EVER, even if I reach the "goal" of graduating my youngest (which will be in the year 2025....GASP!!!).  What do I mean by the trees and forest metaphor, then?

I've got to see the big picture, the forest, as I homeschool my kids.  I've got to step back and remember the big goal here.  I get to spend inordinate amounts of time with my precious gifts from God.  While I do need a break often, and tons of coffee, I plain and simple enjoy my kids' company.  As goofy as this sounds, I'd miss them if they were in school all day!!!  And we wouldn't have gotten to enjoy all these great books together that we've read over these seven years.  Not reading to my older two for a couple of hours every afternoon would make me sad.  The big picture is discipling them at home, in addition to educating them and preparing them to contribute to society.

But seeing the bigger picture doesn't mean that I ignore the trees in our forest. 

So here come the trees and what it has to do with Jeremy acing his math test.  We recently took a step back with J's math.  He was struggling.  Not his best subject.  He was getting way too many wrong on each lesson, and it was time to stop and review, and build a stronger math platform.  That's my job.  Making sure my kids get this stuff sufficiently.  I HAD TO STOP AND SEE THIS PARTICULAR TREE IN OUR HOMESCHOOLING FOREST.  THIS TREE WAS SAGGING AND IN DESPERATE NEED OF ATTENTION.  But, I confess that it took me a bit too long to recognize this issue.  I shouldn't have let him go that far with that many errors in his lessons.   

So we went back about 20-odd lessons, and quite simply, J redid them.  I retaught each concept, and we discussed problems with which he particularly struggles (story problems, for example).  We're seeing the fruits of this methodical review.  Case in point, this morning's math test.  J's math "tree" is growing stronger, and more importantly, he is gaining math confidence.  Awesome to witness!!!  Fist-pumping as we correct his lessons is now a common occurrence!  :-)

So we've come full circle (well, if I did my blog-writing job well, that is).  I will always struggle with our family's forest and trees.  Right now, I whine and rant and stomp about trees, and I am neglecting to remember the bigger picture.  See????  I told you I didn't have this figured out.  What I DO have figured out, though, is that God has called me to do this.  And He won't forsake me in this.  He will carry me, and He will forgive me when I make mistakes (and, boy, will there be many).  And the Holy Spirit will convict me when either the forest gets or the trees get forgotten.  I am thankful for that.