It’s that time of year for homeschoolers. We long to be done with school just as much as our kids. The sun is shining, the weather is warmer (finally) and we are yearning for a completely different, more relaxed schedule. 

So how do you close out your school year?  When your last day of school arrives, is your primary motive to get all the books and records out of sight? Enough, already - let’s relax and have fun?

Here are some of my thoughts and suggestions for finishing your school year: 

Mediocrity. Apathy. Disengaged.

How often do we really think about what we speak? Are we careful with our words or do we speak without really realizing what is coming out of our mouths?

Does it matter?

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Our words do matter. A lot.

One of the lifesavers of a homeschooling mom during the winter months is snow.  When the days get long and the kids (and mom) get edgy, one of the most helpful solutions is fresh air -- a snowman or snow fort to build, snowball fights or sledding is just the thing. 

What to do, then, when the weather doesn't cooperate?  This year in our neck of the woods, the snow has been slow in coming.  The winter temps have made it more desirable (and wise) to stay inside.  Before you know it, attitudes (yours and theirs) have gone amuck, and tension reigns. 

Proverbs 11:25, 30  A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. . . The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

I’ve been reading the Proverbs lately, and these verses struck me. I had to stop and ponder them for a while. I, all too often, worry about getting enough sleep, having time for me, reserving my energy for the things I have to do in a day. But if I really want to have enough energy and strength for the tasks before me, my mind needs to be set on refreshing others.

As I was standing over the changing table, changing my baby’s diaper, listening to her coo and watching her smile, I had this thought: “I have been in this exact same spot, doing this exact same thing so many times.”

At first it was a bit disheartening. I felt a bout of sadness at how mundane my life is. Almost every day looks exactly the same, with some slight variations here and there. Only very rarely do my days change enough to make a statement, like when we take a vacation. I thought to myself, this is not what I thought my life would be like.

I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before. I thought of it this last week as I vamped up our school day routine to almost full speed. I like to start slowly with just a couple subjects and add two or three subjects each week until we are full speed. We’re not quite there yet but close.

I’m sitting in a college computer cluster observing a CAD (Computer Aided Design) class that my nineteen year old son, Dustin, is teaching to homeschool students. I am in awe of God’s work! This young man is living proof that home education works well.

A few of our nine children loved their workbooks and whipped through the pages assigned for each day, but the others could hardly make themselves sit still that long. The son who is teaching this class was a child full of wiggle.  I’m thrilled to see where God has taken him!

We are not heroes.  We are not a “model homeschool family” - an example of how to finally get it right! Personally, if I heard that someone was going to be speaking who had perfected the art of homeschooling and had accomplished building an “ideal family,” I’d run the other way!  I wouldn’t be able to relate.