It’s the beginning of a school year for most. Homeschooling denotes freedom, so some may be working a year-round schedule and some may be working a 6 week on, 1 week off, etc. Be that as it may, this is probably a good time of year to discuss the beginning of a new homeschool session. I remember these times so clearly as I was the most excited person in our house for school to start. I had picked out all the books, I knew all the subjects we would cover, all the ways I found to present something to the kids, I could hardly wait to get started. My kids were usually not quite as excited, and some not excited at all.
It took me awhile to not take these attitudes personally. However, I began to realize that this signified the end of their free-flowing days. Our days never lacked complete structure, but there was definitely more structure in place than the summer days had. Also, the school year was work for them. Not necessarily work they hated, but definitely a job they had to show up for. It was work for me too, but I was an adult and working was something adults do out of having an adult life, this is not something 10-year-olds are ready to fully grasp.
Starting the year out recognizing these facts can really help with our ability to not get too sidetracked right off the bat. They are not likely to be as excited as I am about the shiny new math book and manipulatives we get to use this year. That new grammar book that is going to help us really grasp the grammar rules, is also not a motivator to a kid. Mine wanted to go kick soccer balls in the yard and now that was not going to happen until the work was completed.
How do we not let everyone get the doldrums right out of gate of our new homeschooling year? I like to acknowledge the true facts of the situation. “I know math is not that exciting, but I think if we work together and tackle it first, you will see it is not so bad.” I also don’t recommend starting the first day of school off with the hardest lesson. It feels like they probably will remember more, we could likely skip some of this review, but you might need to do the review lessons to get them back into the game. Honestly, I have had kids come to me and ask to skip ahead. I usually would let them at least try. If they have the gumption to go right for the meat, I like to let them do that. Others, though, may need a bit of a slower start to warm up. Both are just fine.
We need not fear a slow start. As long as we hit the subjects we intended to hit in the first few days or weeks, we can say it was successful. When I say hit the subject, you might not finish what you would determine to be a full lesson. It is perfectly fine to just get to each subject, get a little bit flowing and move on. You will not be behind at the end of the year, for slow starting. Homeschooling is freedom, there is no behind if you are working steadily and consistently.
Finding something the kids could get excited about also helped with the start of the year. For some of my kids they just wanted to jump in to their day. Being allowed to bring coffee and a muffin to the school room and get started on their first assignment felt good. They had an early start and felt they had some control over when they would be done. For some it was knowing this year they could use school time getting credit for something they loved – like a cooking or sewing class. I have heard of families starting their first day with donuts, or offering a special activity as part of the kick off celebration – any of these ideas could really help ease that first day.
I also had a printed schedule for each child for the day. They could see what was expected of them and when they could be finished. Often, my kids really needed to see everything before day 1 to allay any fears they might be harboring. “This is the next grade it’s going to be so hard!” I could spend many days and conversations telling them that it is just a continuation of what we have been doing. However, when I left the books out as I was planning over the summer, let them see a sample schedule of a day, let them help me pick a book or a subject they wanted to cover, etc. Then day 1 was not a big surprise of what this year was going to be like, it was the start day of what they already knew was coming. Occasionally I would find one of my children reading a book from their basket during the summer. That was perfectly fine! Then they knew this coming year wasn’t a big unknown, we were just getting back to a schedule of work.
Be excited about your first day of school; enthusiasm is often contagious. Talk about school, before school. Let them see or be part of the planning that is going on. This transition might be a bit harder for some kids than others –find something they can look forward to in their day. Let your first few days be a bit slower and easier, a slow start can be a great start.
Coffee with Titaw 
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