So. August 22, 2016 we began our 12th year of homeschooling. This year I have an 11th grader and a 7th grader. They're not little anymore, and homeschooling is just what we do--they don't know any different--so it should have been a no-brainer, right? Plan the curriculum, map out the lessons, pull out the books, and go. Right?
Nope. This is probably the most complex homeschool year ever. And here we are 7 weeks into it before I make the first entry on what I feel like is supposed to be a regular journal documenting our trip.
What makes it complex? Well, for starters, both boys have learning challenges. The 11th grader has dyslexia and is an auditory learner. The 7th grader has profound dyslexia--just diagnosed a few weeks before the end of last school year--and, compounding that, probable processing problems of which we don't yet have a clear picture. Both are being tested this month and we'll know more soon. I do know my younger son needs 3 months of remedial dyslexia tutoring before he can even start the dyslexia tutoring program---the first case of such my dyslexia-screener friend had ever encountered! If you know our family, you would know yep, of course it would be us.
This means curriculum choices and lesson plans didn't come easy this year. In fact, with my younger son's brand new diagnosis, I have felt like this year is pretty much schooling in the dark. How best to teach him? What subjects to emphasize? What to drop? How to make sure he's retaining what we cover? (his brain is pretty much like a sieve at this point...synapses aren't firing like they should, and information pretty much just falls out of his head). The good news is that God showed me what I needed to get the year started. I just wasn't sure how to implement it day to day.
Second, the 11th grader is taking two community college classes because he wants to get a head start on college. In order to get professors who are understanding and patient with a dyslexic high schooler, his classes run very-early-morning and very-late-afternoon, putting us back and forth twice a day (he won't be driving till next summer). He's navigating classrooms full of adults and exams that don't allow (at least until he's eligible for special services) for extra time or do-overs.
There are other factors that are affecting our year, a collection of miscellany--outside commitments, life problems, and individual stressors--that have these sons needing much of me and me needing much of Jesus.
Put all the factors together, major and minor, and you can see why, as I drove home from our church's women's retreat the day before the school year was to begin, I felt a little overwhelmed. Ok, a lot. Part of me felt like maybe I shouldn't have gone to the retreat...should have stayed home and planned and/or beached through the weekend so that they were relaxed and I was prepared. I began praying as I hit the freeway south...Lord, help me get a grip on the year here so I know what to do after breakfast tomorrow.
And suddenly, He began speaking. All the way home, He downloaded instructions to me as I drove. This is what He gave me. No joke.
HOMESCHOOL ROAD TRIP RULES 2016
“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” Psalm 121:2 (the verse I'd just been handed, randomly, at the retreat)
- Don’t get ahead of Me, thinking you know where I’m going. You’ll make wrong turns.
- I’ll take the turns with you.
- Follow the road signs to YOUR destination, and stay in your own lane. Other people are going somewhere else.
- Watch for hazards. Sometimes they’re danger...and sometimes they're just empty boxes.
- Hills can actually be fun! So let go and enjoy.
- Me RV. You little car I am pulling behind. Don’t get us confused. I will pull you up steep inclines (Colossians 1:29).
- Be patient in slow stretches; some people may not drive the way you think they should.
- Shrug off tailgaters. Just change lanes.
- Keep your eyes on the road, but check your rear from time to time.
- It’s ok to slow down when traffic gets heavy.
- Keep a travel log. The journey is worth remembering!
- I’ve gone ahead of you every single mile. I’ll clear the way before you and bring you safely to the end of the trip.
Driving is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you’re doing for the next 9 months. You can’t do anything that take your eyes off the road, because you will lose your pace and could wreck everyone in your car.
Yes, He really spoke all this to me as I drove home. By the time I pulled up in front of my house I had no specific curriculum or lesson plan ideas, but I had a heart full of peace.
No, we have not had an easy start this year. No, it is not going to be a routine year. There is no taking anything for granted this year or coasting on past laurels. But what IS promised is His presence, protection, provision, and path. And that's enough.
So, because He said to keep a travel log, I'm going to blog the year. Go ahead and take the journey with us. I know you will see God's faithfulness to us, and hopefully it will encourage you for whatever road stretches ahead of you.
