Feeling burned out can lead to a very grumpy mommy. Grumpy mommies hardly make good homeschoolers. This can cause a year to dive into failure or at best just barely getting by. Making it by the skin of your teeth, will not result in a relief that it’s over but a sense of defeat and guilt that you didn’t provide your children the best of you. Your feelings of stress will bleed over to your children and they may have a poor attitude about school. Soon you will go round and round between bad attitudes or just simply giving up for the year. None of these results are ones we envision at the end of the school year.
Having these feelings does not make you a failure. It also does not mean that homeschooling is not a right fit for your family. Be encouraged that every homeschooling mom has felt her candle burning at both ends right up to the point of complete burn out. Even the most experienced homeschooling mom will feel the burn out if she does not take steps to keep her candle lit.
What causes feelings of burn out?
Stress in the family outside of homeschooling.
Death of a family member.
Marital problems.
Financial problems.
Too much on your plate between kids, homeschooling, work, ministries, etc.
Feelings of confinement.
Not taking regularly scheduled vacations from homeschooling.
What can alleviate burn out?
When stress hits a family either due to a death or marital problems, financial problems, etc., it is okay to take a break from homeschooling. This may also be a time where you assign more student driven activities or use a student driven curriculum. You could also enlist the help of a family member or friend to help you correct your children’s work, give a test, or take them on a field trip.
During the school year, it is vital we remember that homeschooling is our primary job. Often homeschooling moms feel they can pile on the activities, duties and chores because they are essentially free from the confinement of a job and are masters of their own schedule. Take on the attitudes that while you need to leave room for flexibility, if something conflicts with homeschooling turn it down. This may mean an ongoing project or a one day project or chore depending on your personality. Always remember you are home to educate your children not to babysit, bake pies, or plan out the biggest church event of the year. I am not saying that you should not engage in activities outside of homeschooling, what I am saying is that you need to be discerning.
When we are home all day long with kids, we often feel a bit of cabin fever or feel confined. Your kids may even show the signs by acting out. This is the time to take a field trip, even to the library. Go on a nature walk, let your kids read their literature book in a tree, study on the porch or simply take a day off and go to a favorite spot.
It is also vital we plan out the school year with proper breaks. We all need the time to push aside the books for sun block or for a peck to pick some apples.
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