Taking a Birds’ Eye View
When planning a new school year I find it helpful to begin by taking a birds’ eye view. I look at my whole school year and pick one major thing to focus on for the year, do my best to remember that I am teaching real people, and make sure I have a plan for when the homeschool day goes off the rails.
(Because it will.)
1. Picking One Thing
Usually there is one subject that needs more attention than others at any given time.
During a recent year, for example, I realized that math was suffering. Everybody was struggling and we needed to do something about it.
We got ourselves situated with new curriculum, dug in our heels, and made math the major priority for the year until we were all in a good place.
Other years, I’ve noticed that we’re lacking a bit in the writing department, or maybe something that isn’t academic at all- like character development.
When I’m brainstorming where our trouble spots are– what needs to get the most attention right now, I tell myself that there is no need to panic. We just need to be intentional and get on the right path.
Two years ago, I realized that some of my kids didn’t know basic information, like our address, phone number, and how to read an analog clock.
I had one of those “What?! You don’t know that?!” panic moments and wondered if I was ruining them for life by homeschooling them.
Of course, it wasn’t the major global problem I thought it was.
The solution was to make a place in their binders that we called “Everyday Learning.” That year they spent five minutes each day working on the sheets I put there- copy work of our family’s information and clock worksheets, mostly. That was our focus area for awhile.
Before long, they had it down and I didn’t need to worry over it anymore.
Here’s the thing- I often feel overwhelmed by all the balls I’ve dropped- subjects I feel that we haven’t done as well as perhaps we should have. If I try to tackle all of them every year, it’s quite likely we won’t make much headway on any because we’ll be spread too thin.
There are always going to be balls dropping- we’re never going to feel like our kids or our homeschools are up to speed across the board. So before we can pick one thing, we first have to accept that there will be gaps in our kids’ education.
2. Gaps are Gifts
Gaps in learning are not hindrances. Gaps are the places where our child will seek out and fill in during their adulthood– if we give them the skills they need to learn whatever they need to know, and we manage not to kill their curiosity and thirst for learning when they are young.
Think of yourself- an interested, engaged adult (I’m making some assumptions here, forgive me).
Do you feel stressed and panicked that you don’t know everything you want to know?
Or do you seek out and learn that which intrigues you?
Do you get excited when you learn something new that you didn’t know before?
When you’re touring a historical landmark, are you angry that you never learned the details or historical importance of that place, or are you enthralled and eager to learn it now?
Our role as educators is not to fill in all the gaps for our children. It is simply impossible to teach a child everything about the world before they leave home.
Our role, then, is to give them the skills and tools they’ll need to be lifelong learners- and the opportunity to be hungry enough that they’ll want to keep learning well into adulthood.
If we can accept that gaps are not hindrances, then we can shed the anxiety we feel about “getting it all in” this school year. That frees us up to pick one area that needs some extra attention, and give it what it needs.
Math perhaps. Or spelling. Writing. History. Whatever– whatever you think will benefit your family.
Consider yourself a year from now- what will you wish you had spent more time on? Make that your one thing.
When you take a bird’s eye view of your child’s education and then just choose to do what you can with today (rather than trying to tackle everything every single year), you’ll find that you make some serious headway in a few imporant areas.
Your kids will make serious progress in math, for example. Or they’ll write more than ever (and even enjoy it more than ever, too.)
A year from now, tackling that subject will be more like hiking along a well-worn path, and less like hacking your way through the bush- removing branches and clearing obstacles along the way.
Ignore that voice of resistance that tells you there’s too much to do and you either ought to give up or steamroll over everyone to tackle it all.
Pick one thing. Fifteen minutes a day of focused attention on one subject will get you a long way over the course of a school year.
3. We’re teaching people, not books
No matter how old your children are or what needs to be done to satisfy your state’s requirements or the college admissions officer, one principle remains true: you must start with the person– not with a book, a lesson plan, or a curricular goal.
There is a common misconception among homeschoolers and teachers that diligence and rigor can only be achieved when we are miserably slogging through hard material.
When Jesus was teaching his disciples, he didn’t have a checklist of tasks and traits that he was pushing all 12 men through in order to prepare them for ministry.
He didn’t ignore who they were- their struggles, their strengths, their utter humanity- in his attempt to make them fit for the work they were called to do. He met them where they were.
Peter was impulsive, enthusiastic, and over-confident (oh Peter, how I can relate to you!), John was loyal, stubborn and oftentimes angry. The solution was not to push harder and drive them through his curriculum of discipleship.
Instead, Jesus met them where they were, taught them and loved them, and took them one step at a time toward where He wanted them to go.
He didn’t ignore their individuality in favor of getting through the list of lessons and skills he wanted them all to learn, all on the same timetable, before His life on earth ended and their public ministry went full boar.
See, it doesn’t matter where your child is “supposed” to be. It matters where your child is.
You can only help him make real progress when you note that, meet reality square in the face, and then help him take the next step in the right direction.
That means we need to see our children as they really are, not as projects, but as images of God we have been charged to nurture, teach, and love.
So pick one focus area, remember that gaps are gifts (not hindrances), and start with the person. Basically, I’m telling you that it’s important to get your mindset in order first. The nitty gritty part of planning comes after that.
You ready for it? Then let’s talk about planning the first things.
The posts in this series:
- Planning to Teach from Rest
- Taking a Birds’ Eye View (that’s what you’re reading now)
- First Things
- Morning Time Plans
- Loop Scheduling
- Planning is Just Guessing
Hi Sarah! I am loving this series you’ve done! I am struggling a little bit though. I want to teach from Rest. I have some big challenges though. I have four children, ages 11, 8, 6 and 3. My eldest has been developmentally delayed since Birth and has ADHD, Cognitive issues, etc… My second eldest is struggling with Reading, Spelling/Writing and Math. He has some dyslexia issues. Then, I have a daughter who is ready to learn to read. Are we sensing a theme here??? I am trying to teach 3 children how to Read and do Math and Writing. It is very hard for me to pick one focus area as well as have the basics that are a struggle for my two eldest. So, I am trying to figure out how to go about doing this!
My kids “one thing” is not knowing their address , phone number, how to read a calendar and analog clock, and count money..
And they are 11,8 and 4:)
So, id like to try something like you suggested. We dont have binders, just a clipboard but maybe i could make something they copy daily in their planner? Or something..thanks for giving me permission to focus on that!
Completely needed this post today! Thank you!
You are just so, so wonderful :) Thank-you for taking the time to write your blog. I am smiling away by the end of every post because of the peace and confidence I have gained by reading. We are all so blessed by your gifts of wisdom and encouragement.
My children are 12,5,3 and 1.5 so the focus is different … For my eldest daughter, math is the focus. My son and middle daughter it will be learning to read. She will be 4 at the beginning of September, and usually whatever big brother is up to she has to be doing too ! And my youngest,she’s a quiet one so our main focus is encouraging language but through play of course ! :-)
I’m so glad I found your sites. I always feel so refreshed, and more than that, relieved. I do not have to be a superstar, I can rest, and we can still do lots of interesting learning. I can still be classical even if I’m not a teaching star, which I thought I was maybe supposed to be. Also, I actually am an English teacher at a local community college, and formerly in high school, and I kind of feel like I’m SUPPOSED to be really good at this thing. I’ve learned a lot, but I’ve also failed plenty. Still, here we are, learning more some days and less others, but still at it. Thanks so much for the encouragement in this article and overall. I worry a little bit that maybe in telling us to rest, you’re spending too much time not resting, but I hope you also take your own advice. Don’t overdo it yourself, OK? :-)
I am so thankful to have found your blog for the first time yesterday. I am finding much encouragement here. I was actually, just the other night, tearfully, telling my husband that I feel overwhelmed and inadequate. My oldest is 7 and she is not very quick with her math facts and its my fault because I didn’t keep up with doing her flashcards that was suggested in our curriculum…..she dreaded it, how am I to develop a love for learning with those awful things haha! ;) Just not for us. I’m also feeling like I might have bought the wrong math curriculum for this year…nothing like feeling like ya wasted a chunk of money on top of it all! But in one of your other posts I was so nicely reminded that it doesn’t rule over us, I am using it only as a tool :) so freeing. Isn’t that one of the many beauties of homeschooling anyway??..that we can slow down and meet our children where they are? and that if there is something of interest we can delve deeper! Homeschooling is a blessing and should not be a burden! It is nice to meet you Sarah and I look forward to reading more from you!
I think this is the best blog post ever! Not to be too excited or anything! But I found it very encouraging and relaxing to read because you’ve put words to some of the thoughts rattling around in my head.
Love this post! And all your work!!! My focus is finding the right coffee to help me be focused and faithful as we embark on this journey :)
Starbucks Willow blend. ;)
http://www.starbucksstore.com/starbucks-willow-blend/011028508,default,pd.html
These words are so, so wise. I’m so grateful for the recent posts, and your book, which are *just* what my homeschool heart has been needing right now. It’s taken me a few years, plus a few months with our oldest girls in public school, to realize how key it is to focus on the person and meet needs in way that just slogging through material can’t.
I finally figured out our yearly schedule, yay! I am taking the advice to school year round to avoid burnout, and to lighten the load when baby comes midyear. I have six terms, but they aren’t equal. I scheduled around 4 main terms because we use Catholic Schoolhouse and rotate art, composer study, science, saints, etc by quarter. Then I added a shorter Preterm before the first term, and a Spring term after. We will use these to work on basic skills or pursue extras unrelated to CSH. Sounds simple, but I was getting so hung up on making each term equal length.
I’m a bit stumped on a yearly emphasis. I have so many things I want to tackle together! Virtue and character for all. Reading for two, writing for another. Narration for all. Can I lump all those under Language Arts? Ha. Still thinking on this.
Love these posts, thank you!
All 3 of my kids have to work on writing and grammar. Grammar curriculum. doesn’t seem to work with my kids so I think we will incorporate it into Morning Time.
I’m loving all that you are sharing here. After our year end testing it became very clear that we need to spend more time on grammar. I also want the children to spend more time reading out loud to me, this is a very neglected but important skill.
I spent just a few months at the end of our last school year really focusing on math with my 3rd grader (those darn multiplication tables!). I remember something Mother Teresa said that you have echoed in your series…God calls us to be faithful, not successful. We faithfully punched 20 minutes into the timer and worked on those math facts, not worrying about how many were right or wrong, not worrying about how many pages of the math book we covered. It made a HUGE difference and diffused all the tension. In the end we were faithful to that 20 minutes of practice a day AND we were successful! God is good!
Now that all three are good readers, and strong at math, we will all be focusing on writing & spelling this year. Thanks for all of the great advice. And for sharing how you live the homeschool life.
I love the idea of two month terms….I’m going to consider trying that.
Math was our priority last year and will probably be the priority again this year. I don’t have math lovers in this house, so it’s a struggle to get it done.
I’m loving this series already! Thank you for helping us all put thought into what we are doing!
My twin girls are going into 2nd grade, one son is 4 and one is 2. I feel like our focus needs to be on our Character. Both through Bible studies and some character inspired curriculum. I feel like I let that slide for my girls’ K and 1st year in favor of the three R’s. So that’s our priority and then to keep momentum with the three R’s :)
Love it! Yes, we need to focus on the person we are teaching and not on the curriculum. We prioritize different subjects depending on what the child needs/desires. For instance, one of my sons has decided he wants to be a movie director or editor – so he spends extra time taking movies and editing them. The other son loves computer programming – so he spends extra time going through various classes and learning different programming languages. I find that they are much more motivated to do their regular subjects if I allow them to have plenty of time exploring their passions as well. :)
We have typically done something similar to what you do schedule wise in that we usually take all of July off for a summer break (and sometimes also the last week or two of June). Then in August, we take a couple of weeks to slowly ease into the new school. This has worked very well for us. This past Fall, our youngest began her kindergarten year and scheduling works a bit different for her. She likes routine. Therefore, we’ll be keeping a basic school routine throughout the summer. So for her, we’re just easing into the 1st grade work over the summer instead of waiting until August. :)
I love all these points you’re making Sarah. I find the idea of letting go of some subjects for a time to be so freeing and takes off so much pressure. Because the reality is when you’re concentrating on a couple things you’re going to gain a much more comfortable level of knowledge. But it’s so great for us teaching as well, I just find myself getting discouraged by thinking I’m always behind because I let go of a particular aspect for a few weeks.
Since my kids are so little I just wanted to ask you when you’re at the beginning and the kids are just starting out with reading, writing etc. you don’t loop the reading and writing do you? This year I feel as if I had success because we did PAL everyday, then looped through religion, bible, science and literature as read aloud time. (A little math everyday as well and that was basically my curriculum and all we did this year.) I love your concept of term looping, but I think my kids have to have a handle on the reading and writing first, I guess?
I love your reminder to focus on who and where your child IS, not where he/she suppose to be or what skills others say he/she should be mastering. And thank you for your openness. I’m sure many of us feel like we are dropping the ball at times, whether it’s related to parenting or educating, and it’s nice to know we are not alone. I’m with you… teach less, learn more!
Research paper for the 11th grader, grammar for the 12 year old. Finding joy and letting go of fear for the 49 year old. ahem.
I love this post, Sarah, and I will undoubtedly use your term idea in my planning this summer. Coming out of a year of severe burnout and extremely lackluster (ahem) homeschooling, I also need to hear the wisdom of meeting my children where they are, not where they are supposed to be…and then focusing on the biggest weaknesses first. So, my children thank you from the bottom of their precious hearts for providing mommy with some sound advice & keeping her sane! :)
With my kids, I’m think this focus:
6th grade dd – math (always, might need a switch from Singapore, which I hate to do), then writing, then grammar
3rd grade dd – finish AAR, then writing
K dd – phonics & number skills, then handwriting
2yo dd – potty training & staying out of mommy’s hair during school
It sounds like your future posts will help me with all of these things…Alleluia!!
Thanks for posting all of these, you’re really getting me thinking for next school year! Math has to be the focus for my oldest two. They will be a freshman and sophmore and I really want them to understand Algebra. Reading is top on the list for my 9 yo as he is having much difficulty. With my 11 yo I want to focus on writing again. Well, there you have it, my skeleton plan for the year. Thanks!
Our focus is language arts this year. Both my boys need this! Mostly grammar and spelling. I need to add writing to that list for the oldest. I’m struggling with not over doing it and creating anxiety to be sure it all gets done. I realize I will need to cut back in history to make sure we have enough time for LA and I’m struggling with that. My youngest is no problem, but I spent a lot of money on history books for the oldest and I don’t want to see them go unused! This post was very timely!
For my K son the main focus is learning to read. For the 1st grader the focus is building small motor stamina. For the 3rd grader the focus is on giving full attention to a task because she’s the distractible one. For the 4th grader the focus is keeping his love of learning alive while increasing his workload. He’s also going to be introduced to prepared dictation as a means of working on spelling. For the 8th grader the focus is to encourage her to ask questions, think critically about what she reads, and to let her take ownership of the learning process.
For the 3, 2, and 1 year old the focus is being little boys! Lots of play, lots of helping mommy, and lots of mess making.
I know you were referencing homeschooling, but this was exactly what I needed to hear concerning my special needs preschooler! I’ll be rereading this post, for sure. Beautiful and so true for all our babies.
“See, it doesn’t matter where your child is “supposed” to be. It matters where your child is. You can only help him make real progress when you note that, meet reality square in the face, and then help him take the next step in the right direction. That means we need to see our children as they really are, not as projects, but as images of God we have been charged to nurture, teach, and love.”
Well said.
Going to say two things here: first, I just love you. :-) Second, I might be enjoying this series more than the original. :-O Fabulous stuff.
I have always had the advantage of having sent my oldest all the way through Catholic school and my second part way. I call it an advantage because I saw how school was “done” outside the home. No curriculum is perfect and no teacher is perfect. There will be gaps, but I’d rather they be my gaps than, say, intentional gaps in revisionist history or twice a week religion. The teacher who loves her students will always have the advantage in my opinion. Your students are very fortunate children. :-)
Last year was our math year, for sure. (and, like you, it wasn’t the major problem I thought it was, but I am glad we focused on our math skills and feel good about where the kids are now).
This year? This year we’re working on reading. We recently discovered my son needed glasses and I’m wondering if this wasn’t the kink in the works the whole time (he’s been a pretty reluctant reader). And, my oldest needs a bit of a push toward the classics and things of the non graphic novel variety sometimes.
So, reading in 2014-2015 it is!
So encouraging! My focus is different for each kiddo. My oldest needs to focus on reading, #2 is blazing a trail so I try to find things that challenge her. It’s good for her to have to work hard. :) #3 is working on forming letters/numbers and crying though it. #4 is 1, so we will work on body parts. As a whole, we are going to do more science this year per the request of the bigs.
For this fall, my 2nd grader will be focusing on writing and spelling. My K’r will be focusing on staying focused and not talking back. :-)
I’m looking forward to the rest of this series!