What's Your Biggest Homeschooling Challenge?

[Isa]

I'm interested in finding out what you consider to be your biggest homeschooling challenge. This could be having to do with academics or something different.

For example, I consider my biggest homeschooling challenge to be spending enough time with my younger children where I sufficiently meet their needs, while at the same time effectively homeschooling my school-aged children. This is my first year where I've done most of the homeschooling in the morning, instead of during nap times. Because of this, I've had to figure out ways to keep my younger children happily occupied.

[Canada_Mom]

I consider my biggest homeschooling challenge to be spending enough time with my younger children where I sufficiently meet their needs, while at the same time effectively homeschooling my school-aged children...

I have to agree with you on this one. There are days when I feel really guilty for all the attention my oldest gets during school time while the little ones "run around" practically "unnoticed." I wish I could do the things with the toddler that I did with my oldest when she was a toddler. I try to make up a bit for that by having my oldest read to the smaller ones but it's no replacement for Mommy time. I'm finding it difficult to be all things to everyone around here...

[dragons in the flower bed]

I'm interested in finding out what you consider to be your biggest homeschooling challenge.

For a long time, doing it today, even though we just did it yesterday, was my biggest challenge. You can imagine how such thinking would get in the way of math, for example. I learned to cope by building a routine and plodding through it no matter what. We actually have all learned to enjoy routine quite a lot.

Nowadays, my biggest problem is functioning in a calm and happy way when my routine is messed up. :rolleyes:

[Mama Lynx]

I am my biggest challenge - keeping myself organized, focused, and on-task. I dislike routine and hate *having* to do anything.

[godpoetry]

Keeping up with the increased workload of the 7th grader, keeping my special needs 4th grader on track and keeping my 3 year old entertained and doing her "school work" all at the same time.

[BizyPenguin]

~Teaching my ds whose personality and learning style is so different than my own (including the fact that he has ADHD)
~Remembering to record what we've done (but doing the weekly report has remedied that)
~Keeping our homeschooling materials organized
~Teaching science which I dislike

[Kristiana]

It's me. I am my own biggest challenge also. I love routines, and we all thrive on them, and I feel like we have a really good plan set up right now if I could just consistently follow it day after day. I'm not a morning person, but everybody else is and if I jump on the day and get everybody going, our days go great. But I'm constantly fighting the urge to check my email, read a blog, or come on here--just for a minute!! then we'll start school. But it's never just a minute.

My other biggest challenge, or maybe it's still just me, is doing advance planning. I have a certain amount planned out already, but there are still daily things to get ready. Especially with history and science, but even with our pick up and go subjects, it helps tremendously if I know the night before just exactly what we'll be doing, but again I need to consistently take time to look over things before I go to bed then my mind is ready to teach in the morning. For some reason, this is hard for me.

[Michelle T]

next biggest is DS's ADHD and LD's.
Michelle T

[Tammy in Germany]

For me..time. I just need about 5 more hours in our day. There's so many things we want to do(projects and extra learning on a particular subject)...just not enough time. So I guess just doing what's most important for now. Next year however, we start year round schooling...I'm so excited.:D

[strider]

and the daily discipline of it. I am GREAT at big projects and terrible at the daily grind.

[Sweetpeach]

My biggest challenge with homeschooling:

Finding time for me.

[DawnUK]

My two biggest challenges are my two younger children. I have two younger (2&3) and two older (11&10) children. I feel like I have to put aside one set to work with the other. It's always a balancing act, and of course, they'd always rather play together instead of doing the age appropriate things that I have planned for each, such as math & Latin or colors & cutting. Most days are usually fun though. I definitely wouldn't trade it for anything!
--Dawn

[Pongo]

Not answering the phone:rolleyes:

[elegantlion]

My biggest challenge is not having a car during the day. My dh needs it for work. I feel like we are missing out on field trips and general exploration. We live on about an acre so there is never a loss of fun creepy things to explore, but some days I just want to leave the house. :mad:

[Friederike in Persia]

To keep it fun.

[Kinsa]

Keeping off message boards long enough to do schooling. ;)

[Plaid Dad]

Motivating a child who is temperamentally very different from me.

[CalicoKat]

I'm interested in finding out what you consider to be your biggest homeschooling challenge. This could be having to do with academics or something different.

For example, I consider my biggest homeschooling challenge to be spending enough time with my younger children where I sufficiently meet their needs, while at the same time effectively homeschooling my school-aged children. This is my first year where I've done most of the homeschooling in the morning, instead of during nap times. Because of this, I've had to figure out ways to keep my younger children happily occupied.

Habits is another challenging area. I've struggled to get my kids consistent with the simple habit of waking up, dressing, making beds, doing their "toilet" and eating breakfast--in that order. I was just talking with my dh last night about it because I just don't understand why we continue to struggle with this. I started following this plan religiously when I found Flylady about 5 yrs ago so it's not for a lack of consistency in myself or my husband.

If we could just make some real, consistent, permanent progress in this one little area I would be greatly encouraged. Then I wouldn't have to be the bad guy each morning and say, "Go get your morning chores done! No breakfast until it's done. No electronics until you're done!"

[elegantlion]

Keeping off message boards long enough to do schooling. ;)


I resemble that remark as well :eek:

[cin]

*I* have ADD. I think my ADOPTED daughter, who is SO much like me, also has it. I HATE following routines, extra noises grate on me, I canNOT do paperwork, my desk looks like a paper bomb went off on it....

As a result, we do NOT do creative homeschooling. We do textbooks which follow the pages...today we do page 5, tomorrow page, 6, etc. Otherwise, it will NOT get done. I LOVE SOTW but am having trouble just DOING it. Oh, and the 3 yr old....she watches way too much TV, but there's not much else to keep her away from her older sister during school time. Pre-school only takes 30 minutes, if I stretch it out :rolleyes:.

[Lolly]

Life interrupts school too often. Appointments for doctor, orthodontist, and physical therapist get in the way too often. If they could only be on time for their appointments, my life would run much smoother. I'm not sure the orthodontist is going to continue to see us after the last visit. Seems I upset him because I sort of got upset and complained because the last 6 visits dc have been left sitting for an hour before being seen for a 5 minute glance in the mouth. Other doctors are even worse. We usually have one or two visits a week this year. Hopefully that number will be going down very soon!

Second problem is getting burned out from doing the same thing week after week. Our routine is very.....routine.

[Begonia]

Avoiding burnout in my 8th grader. We have to remember to schedule "fun."

[Mrs. Readsalot]

I find this the most difficult to grade and or correct. It just seems very subjective to me. For this reason, we have used My Access for writing some years.

[Trivium Academy]

Hats:
juggling all that I'm responsible for and still carving necessary time I need for my well-being

Internal/External struggles:
homeschooling brought so many more aspects to my life than I thought it would
- family members concerns and uninformed opinions
- a heart change in me that hasn't rippled yet to my dh and other crucial people in the children's immediate circle (tv, quality of books & entertainment, time spent 1-on-1 with children, discipline, etc.)
- realizing if it's to be done, I have to do it- no matter if I'm the only one
- after realizing all the different aspects in which I could influence the kids, I wanted instant perfectionism (perfect homemaker, teacher, mother, wife, etc.) I burned myself out trying to be what I envisioned from others' influences in the homeschooling world
- how to mentor and be a good mother/wife when faced with adversity, esp. in our immediate circle (when others undermine me). How to set boundaries

Ages/Stages
That is a factor but I think I can handle it with 2 children, it does stress me that I might not be able to play with ds3 as much as I'd like but dd7 didn't have it either with me b/c she was in daycare. I think when they are in different stages (grammar/logic and logic/rhetoric) the challenge will be more present.

[Stacy in NJ]

an impatient jerk. Also, I would like to offer a more "experience" driven education, but lack the planning, forsight to get 'er done.

[WendyK]

I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old. It is a real challenge to keep the 2 year old entertained while focusing on any one on one stuff with my very advanced 6 year old.

[Deece in MN]

Consistency can be an issue if (for whatever reason) we have more days off than intended. Sometimes it is hard to get back into the routine and I really have to just make myself do it. Once we are in our routine, we are really good about doing the work. So, I try to keep disruptions at a minimum.

My other big issue is boredom. I get bored with our studies or curriculum and want a change. In the past I have made the changes without really thinking beyond my needs (my poor dc :(). I have come to realize that this is an exercise in perseverence for me. I am trying not to make any changes unless they are truly necessary for my dc understanding of the subject. Even then, I am trying to tweak what we are currently using before making a change.

[beansprouts]

I have a 1 year old...

[Quiver0f10]

I greatly dislike grading an correcting work, so it goes undone for too long. Then I find we have things we missed learning and we have to back track. I really need to get better at doing this daily.

[6packofun]

it is definitely getting it all done and making sure that the elementary aged kiddos get enough of my time for their school work, too. So many things to cover, so little time. :confused: And then to make it all enjoyable AND rigorous...

But I'm also enjoying the challenge a bit more now as well, so I can't complain.

[Beth in Central TX]

My biggest challenge is trying to stay ahead of my boys academically now that we are past the elementary years. I'm trying to re-educate myself in grammar and history, but I find it hard to learn all that I need to know before we get to the topic in school. This year I find myself frequently saying, "I don't know the answer to that; let's look it up together."

Also, I don't think I do as much one-on-one time with my youngest like I did with his brothers.

[Chris in VA]

My biggest challenge for the older one is teaching writing (same as Mrs. Readsalot!).
For the younger, probably being consistent with art and music--she does her own thing with art, usually, and goes to choir at church (which is music theory, solfage, and singing), but I have curricula I could use at home and just don't.
Perhaps that's my biggest challenge--paring down to the essentials.

[amyable]

My biggest challenge is trying to maintain my composure when too many things are "hitting me" at the same time. Since I have a spunky/ADDish 10 year old with learning differences, a very spirited 2yo, a cranky baby, and two other kids in between, this happens...ohhh...like every 2 and half minutes, LOL! :(

[Tokyomarie]

It's been different challenges at different times. This year it's burnout and struggle for motivation. I am on Year 17 since we started homeschooling part-time and Year 8 since the children came home full-time. I have one at home who is a 7th grader and a difficult student to work with. I feel so ready to be done. Yet, I don't sense that I've been released from the task, so perseverance is that quality that I really need to dust off and put to work. Just do the next thing....

[SnowWhite]

My biggest challenge is patience and sensitivity to my ds's feelings. It is so easy to roll my eyes or get upset rather than "see where he's coming from", especially since he's a monkey-shine maker who'd rather appear to be blowing something off than to be struggling with anything even for a moment.

[Michelle in GA]

Be disciplined enough to finish EVERY item on our daily list. We are great at getting up early and working diligently through lunch. It is hard to get back on track for another 2 hours of work. It is so easy to let that last reading session fall from the schedule. My dc yell, "We'll do it later--at bedtime!", but I found that "later" oftentimes never comes. So....we perservere until ALL work is done. We do it, but I would definitley say that is our biggest challenge.

[Tutor]

Getting started in the morning is my biggest problem, too. Once we're going, I'm good.

[Alana in Canada]

This is wonderful. I see myself in so many of you.

My biggest challenge? Seriously?
Dishes
Laundry
Making supper--and lunch--I hate making lunch!--and breakfast.
Cleaning

[Dawn E]

but my main challenges are
--entertaining my 7 mo old and balancing his schedule with ours
--not getting sidetracked after putting the baby down for a nap
--being less gentle and understanding than I would be teaching another child
--lack of patience on bad attitude days

[MelissaMinNC]

My biggest challenge? Seriously?
Dishes
Laundry
Making supper--and lunch--I hate making lunch!--and breakfast.
Cleaning


I'm SO glad you said this! My biggest challenge is balancing school and homemaking stuff. I feel guilty when it's a mess (plus, I just don't like it!), but I feel guilty if we stop school early or take a day off so I can catch up. I am really hoping to find some kind of balance - or win the lottery so I can hire someone to do the cleaning, LOL.

Another challenge is having time for all the non-school stuff - church stuff, life stuff, family stuff, etc. Ack.

:)
Melissa

[Strawberry Queen]

I need to be more patient when dd7 doesn't understand things right away. I also need to be more consistent at doing the extras (art/music etc) that so easily get pushed to another week (and another and another...).

I also need to follow the plans that I have spent time making. I wimp out and do what's easy, like just assigning another math page instead of playing a math game.
I have trouble going with the flow of life, and resent interruptions to my plan. This happens about every week as I'm helping someone out by looking after her 3yo, and now doing before and after school care for her 10yo son. (what do you do with a nice 10yo boy-but one that you don't know???). The mother's life is inconsistent and so by default my life is inconsistent too. It drives me a bit crazy but I'm trying to let go of the unimportant.

I also need to do more fun things with my dd5.

[Shannon831]

BALANCE

1. Not letting life get in the way of school. Keeping enough days at home to get work done.

2. Giving my kids enough play time with others. Getting out enough.

3. It is so hard not to drive myself crazy with all of the options. Choosing curriculum, not second guessing. Being confident in our personal approach to homeschooling. This is a constant.

[Basketmaker Amy]

My 15 ds' attitude. nuff said!

[nitascool]

Our biggest struggles this year are...

Me: Getting the housework done. It just doesn't get done. We're going to try a 4 day week and see how that works, using Friday for appointments and chores. Motivation to do a "scheduled" school day which my boys desperately need, and is against my nature. Enjoying the process and not becoming frustrated with myself or the children.

Oldest: Me "Not" being his executive function (He has ADD). Allowing him to suffer the consequences of his actions (No TV time, homework). Dealing with his 13yo attitude (BTW He's 7.5). Balancing between his academic, intellectual, emotional, behavioral and physical age because they are all different.

2nd born: Being patient with his 200'th, "What did you say, Mommy?". His constant bouncing off the walls (He has ADHD). Balancing between his academic, intellectual, emotional, behavioral and physical age because they are all different. Handwriting! Not comparing him to big brother. Crying, whining and complaining about having to do school while little brother doesn't. Oh and did I say Handwriting?

3rd born: Finding the time to do any school at all with him. Since he's only 3 it's not as big of a deal... but the guilt of knowing that if I did have time he's got all the signs of being ready to... learn to read, write, add and subtract.

The baby: She doesn't get near the attention I want to give her. Though she has a good set of lungs and does get what she needs I wish I had more time to cuddle since she is likely our last.

[Jennefer@SSA]

Balance!

Weekly housework, schoolwork iwith my oldest, spending time with my 2 younger ones, cooking healthy meals, maintaining friendships, exercising, laundry, spending time with dh so we're not just roommates....

It seems that I can keep a few things going well (think the circus act with the guy that has all the plates spinning) but I just can't seem to get it all together for very long before something has to give (imagine plates crashing to the ground! :) )

I keep reminding myself that this is a season and enjoy it! If I keep saying it over and over will it happen???!!!!

[mom25cuties]

Oh, the biggest challenge for me has definitely finding a routine or schedule that actually works for us then sticking to it. My second challenge would have to be trying to discover the learning styles of my dc.

[Vanna]

I *love* this post -- thanks to all who have already shared.

When the kids were very young:
The challenge was to homeschool while I was pregnant and/or nursing (I was always v e r y tired).

When dh worked outside of the home:Not having a car during the day because he had it (to the other poster who shared this -- I know what you're feeling).

Right now:
My biggest challenge is being patient with one very "different" child of mine. I'm not complaining, the problem is really ME (but praying every day for help from the Lord to be patient).

[Sasharowan]

Remembering not to give in when the kids are whining to stop school when stopping school is what I want to do too.

[Frontier Mom]

I get so excited when I first start using a new curriculum but, by January, I am so bored with it. Change can be a homeschoolers biggest blessing or curse. Since I can change when I want, I tend to also be looking for the next exciting curriculum that will instantly be fun, easy and make my children extra brilliant. LOL

I have to make myself stick with what I am doing - picking times when I allow myself to switch. For instance, I am switching to TOG next year so I have purchased it and working on it while we are finishing this year up.

[Hoggirl]

nt

[KarenNC]

/

[ThelmaLou]

My biggest challenge is doing all of my mommy tasks in addition to school. School, in and of itself, is not truly difficult. But when I add that to cleaning, cooking, shopping, laundry, bills, church involvement, correspondence, etc...it's the straw that sometimes breaks the camel's back. I don't think most people quit homeschooling because the school portion is too hard. I think that the juggling act gets to be too much for many people, and they feel like they just can't wear that many hats.

[Sunkirst]

I nodded in agreement to so many of these answers. I struggle to keep myself motivated many days. I struggle to give time enough to each child, to be a wife to my dh, and to take care of myself. I've struggled to be consistent in my style/curriculum choice.
However, my biggest struggle thus far has been teaching my first to read. We finally found out that he has mild dyslexia, but for years I thought that I must just be a terrible teacher, or that he was just a unmotivated learner. Funny thing, we both cheered when the test for dyslexia came back positive :rolleyes:.

[Debbie in London]

My biggest challenge is finding a balance between at home studies and outside activities and field trips. We don't have a car and use public transport to get around, so when we go anywhere it's atleast a half day affair. We probably won't be here for more than an year from now so I would hate to stop going to places but I also have so many "traditional" school things I want to get done. I'm having a hard time finding the right balance so this is definitely my biggest challenge.

Debbie

[GaJeannie]

My biggest homeschool challenge is, hands down, time management. I look at the clock and it's almost lunch time and I haven't a foggy clue where the time went! I make schedules and post them...to no avail. But we're learning and that's what's important. :cool:

Ga Jeannie

[Jeanine in TX]

Some days I feel like I am almost near burn out. School is manageable and we get things done according to schedule. I can even keep the house clean (most days). However, I am going to have to reduce my outside volunteer obligations. Lately, it seems like it takes up all of my free time. It's hard to find time to relax and hang out with my husband and children. They have been patient this year, but this is not an optimal situation for the long-term. Most of my obligations end in May or June. I cannot wait.

[Mama Bear]

BALANCE


Me too. Balance, attention, consistency. And yet, doing this alone with five kids, on with special needs, how else would it look? Sometimes things have to be shuffled. Sometimes fires must be put out. Then we edge back toward center and pick it up again. It's all good. :D

[LG Gone Wild]

Habits is another challenging area. I've struggled to get my kids consistent with the simple habit of waking up, dressing, making beds, doing their "toilet" and eating breakfast--in that order. I was just talking with my dh last night about it because I just don't understand why we continue to struggle with this. I started following this plan religiously when I found Flylady about 5 yrs ago so it's not for a lack of consistency in myself or my husband.

If we could just make some real, consistent, permanent progress in this one little area I would be greatly encouraged. Then I wouldn't have to be the bad guy each morning and say, "Go get your morning chores done! No breakfast until it's done. No electronics until you're done!"

I've tried all kinds of scheduling things and tricks and resolutions but this bedevils us.

[Kathie in VA]

I really like picking the curriculum. I make the schedules with full understanding that we may do things in a different order but I need to ensure that they CAN get done in a day/week timeframe. My biggest problem is implementation. We either don't get started on time, or there are 'reasonable' interruptions. These are big like packing to move, unpacking from moving, tending to dh when he had a broken foot, major cleaning for major company, helping to build the deck, etc.

Oh and what do you do when you combine kids in a subject like history or science and one kid is sick?? Well both skip it... ug.

Then there's the last minute errands that dh needs me to do... and how much to you think the kids get done when Mom runs out? zilch.

and now... here's the Flu. yeah!

[saved1112]

Going from teaching one to four; fitting it all in; organization.

[Jenny in Atl]

Not doubting myself... and more time. I always feel like I'm running out of it.

[HSMom2One]

Be disciplined enough to finish EVERY item on our daily list. We are great at getting up early and working diligently through lunch. It is hard to get back on track for another 2 hours of work. It is so easy to let that last reading session fall from the schedule. My dc yell, "We'll do it later--at bedtime!", but I found that "later" oftentimes never comes. So....we perservere until ALL work is done. We do it, but I would definitley say that is our biggest challenge.

We are learning to do better, but then Grandma announces she has a dr. apt. in the morning or someone drops by unnanounced, the phone rings, etc. and if we aren't careful we have to replan our schedule once again. :lol:

Hs'ing is harder than I thought it would be, but even with the challenges we wouldn't go back to ps for anything!

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/happy036.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org)

Blessings,
Lucinda

[Peela]

I am fine with time manageament and homeschooling routines, I dont mind mind changing curriculum when needed, I don't have little kids any more, but....

my biggest challenge woudl have to be homeschooling my 2nd child, my son, who the more I homeschool, the more I realise has learning difficulties and is what would be called a slow learner. He was recently diagnosed dyslexic, even though he can read just fine now, and he has a very obsessive compulsive personality. I find it a challenge to know when I really am pushing too hard, and when he is pulling my strings, and I get sucked into negotiating with him far too often. It is the one factor in our days that can wear me down and fray my temper.
The other things are I don't like marking work much, and I am not really enthusiastic about cooking meals for 3 people who all have very different tastes. Lucky they are old enough to fix themselves something when I give up trying.

[DSAcademy]

My pantry has an innocuous little sticky that reads; "Your kids are 9 and 11."

Underneath it, another sticky perches vicariously; "Seriously, 9 and 11."

The last sticky, "Yes...socially and academically...9 and 11," keeps falling off.

I seem to continuously forget that we are not peers, sitting in a masters class...(at least not yet!!!)...Truly I am working on this.