Happy Back to School OR Surviving the First Few Weeks of Home Education by Becky Boerner

 

Happy Back to School!  (But is it really?) 

The advertisements are showing back to school supplies, everyone is excited about pumpkin lattes and school clothes.  But is everyone truly that excited about the start of school? 

I find the first few weeks of back to school very challenging.  Sometimes it seems like no one remembers their math facts, getting work completed in a timely manner is challenging, and I am pretty sure my students have forgotten many important things from last year.  (Remind me why we are doing this again?)

I wanted to share a  few thoughts from someone starting their 21^st year of home education.  Please know I am preaching to myself.  

•    The first 2-6 weeks can be very challenging.  It seems like your students have forgotten everything from last year, still cannot find their clearly marked supplies, and do not remember  how to be efficient.  Grace.  I would encourage you to work consistently on creating good routines, review the routines, and keep making changes to establish a good routine.  Routines are the key to success. They are worth working on the first few weeks as they will make the rest of your year better. Your future self will thank you!  
•  Don’t be afraid to make some changes to your schedule.  That perfect schedule you made in the summer probably will have a few holes or not be executed quite the way you imagined it to.  Don’t give up!  Get feedback from your students and move forward.  What a great life lesson for our students to watch us demonstrate how to adapt and make changes to schedules that are not serving us well.    
• Celebrate the Wins!  Make sure you celebrate completing the first test, finishing work, starting on time, putting supplies away, and simply making it through any day.  Home education is hard work and deserves celebration. 
  
•  Save some work samples.  You will forget all the progress you made at the end of the year if you do not save work to compare.  Start building a portfolio of work samples now. 
• Look for opportunities to smile at your children, laugh with them, and praise them. It is easy to get caught up in all that has to be done. You are also a building lifetime relationships. 

Give yourself plenty of grace, space, and time to work through the first few weeks of home education. It always gets better. 

The work you do in September will benefit you exponentially in the coming month! 

Happy Back to School!  I would love to know your best tips.  

Becky

PS I am always here to help if you need some help working on your schedule, planning for high school, and walking through how to help a challenging student.  See here for my services.  

To make a 40 minute consulting appointment.

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Godfrey and the Great Cathedral Robbers by Maryann Sciolino

 

Set in medieval England, Godfrey is a nine-year-old stonemason apprentice who dreams of building a grand cathedral. Eventually, Godfrey is given an opportunity to follow his dream but quickly finds trouble as he learns of an evil plot to sabotage the building. It's up to Godfrey to protect the cathedral and save the town. Learn how a young boy discovers strength and wisdom while realizing his dream!

Godfrey and the Great Cathedral Robbers by Maryann Sciolino is a great elementary historical fiction book that takes place during the Middle Ages. The story is sweet and shares about Godfrey who is training to be a stone mason who wants more for his life. I loved how the various trades and roles of people in the Middle Ages were explored.   

The story is perfect for 4–8-year old’s studying Medieval history.   It could be read independently by a seven or eight-year-old and read-aloud to 4–6-year old’s.  It has a beautiful moral and the illustrations support the text.  There are robbers, a gospel presentation, found family, and a great ending. I recommend Godfrey and the Great Cathedral Robbers by Maryann Sciiolino!  

Congratulations to the author for winning second place in the American Christian Fiction Writers of Children’s Fiction Kingdom Kid Lit Contest for 2025 in the published readers and chapter books. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review.

About the Author: Dedicated to creating wholesome alternatives, Maryann Sciolino, wife and mother of five, paused her career as a registered nurse to provide a homeschool education for her children. Her years of researching literature to enhance their education spawned a commitment to create quality reading for young, impressionable minds. Experiencing the time-honored blessings of reading to her granddaughter galvanized her dedication to author a book that supports parents and grandparents training up children to know Jesus. Her first such book, Godfrey and the Great Cathedral Robbers, was inspired by the grace of God and the love of family.

You could have done less . . .

 

As we reflect on the  2024- 2025 school year and get ready for the 2025-2026 year, it is good to rejoice in what we have accomplished.  This is post from earlier on the blog, but I thought it might be nice to read again.  

If there is one thing I hear over and over again from families is "I really could have done more this year."  Sometimes they say this to me before they send in their portfolio, after I complement them on all they have accomplished, or just when they see me out at the Greenhills library.

I have started responding, "Well you know, you could have done less."  Usually that gets me a sort of head tilting confused look. I then say, "Really, you could have done less.  You could have read less books to your kids,  you could have completed fewer math pages, you could have participated in not as many field trips, or had fewer learning conversations."  I tell families, you did have a lot of great learning experiences with your students this year, and you worked hard.

I often joke that I have to have very high self-esteem to look at so many portfolios each year.  I am always fascinated at all families accomplish, and the progress their students make.  I see families who take amazing educational trips to places I have never heard of, utilize community resources in unique ways, read great literature, integrate learning into their lives in so many novel ways, find apps and web sites that are incredible, and find resources I had no idea existed.

What I have learned through the years is that everyone is good at something, but probably not good at everything. You are good at something with your students.  There is something that you can do that someone around you admires you for and wonders how you do it. Are there things you could improve on. . well of course. . we all could. We are all people on a homeschooling journey who are constantly trying to improve, and that is fabulous.  No one wants to be stagnant.  It is good to set realistic goals to improve your home education, but still rejoice in what you have accomplished.

I think it is important to remember what you are good at and what you bring to your homeschooling world.  Celebrate your student's accomplishments, celebrate your accomplishments and maybe even ask your students what you do well.  I am willing to bet their answers will surprise you.

And  please remember as doubt creeps in. . You truly could have done less.   So celebrate what you did do!

~Becky

Our Friendly Farmhouse by Melissa Ferguson & her children and illustrated by Gretchen Ellen Powers.

Our Friendly Farmhouse written by Melissa Ferguson & her children and is illustrated by Gretchen Ellen Powers. It is beautifully illustrated children’s book telling the story of the Ferguson family’s move to the country, how they built their home and changed their lives.

This is a beautiful children’s books with water color pictures that go perfectly with the text. The sweet story is appropriate for children four to eight years old, and your older kids will be listening in because it is so engaging. The book includes photos of the Ferguson family farm and shares a day in the life of their family.

Our Friendly Farmhouse would be fantastic to read as family, for fun, in a farm unit, comparing and contrasting the different places people live, and as a springboard for talking about big events in your own family. I might read to kids and then create a book or story about your own family.

I highly recommend Our Friendly Farmhouse written by Melissa Ferguson & her children and illustrated by Gretchen Ellen. It will delight you! This will be a 2025 favorite for me.

I was given a copy and not required to write a positive review. 

Melissa Ferguson is the bestselling author of titles including Meet Me in the Margins, How to Plot a Payback, On the Way to Christmas, and The Perfect Rom-Com.

She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children in their growing farmhouse lifestyle and writes heartwarming romantic comedies that have been featured in such places as The Hollywood Reporter, Travel + Leisure, Woman’s World, and BuzzFeed. Join along her journey with over 800,000 other followers at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse.

Instagram: @ourfriendlyfarmhouse
TikTok: @ourfriendlyfarmhouse