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| Article |
The Spin Cycle
Jan. 2004
by Dawn Cole
Sometimes I get worried about “getting it all done” in our home school. If I think about it long
enough my head will spin. First there is reading, writing, and math. Plus science, social studies, and
history. Then there’s music and art. Almost forgot PE. OK, I need books…time to teach from those
books…written assignments to show what they are learning. Should I test them? I have four
students...each in a different grade. Then there’s the laundry, dishes, and other housework. A voice
reaches my dizzy brain...“Hi Honey, I’m home. What’s for dinner?” AAAAAARGH! HELP!
This is what I call The Spin Cycle. Sometimes it is in my mind as I struggle with my insecurities as
a homeschool mom. Sometimes it is in my house as I try to “get it all done”. Fate seems to have a
sense of humor. Why is it that unexpected company likes to drop by when the house is a wreck, the
phone rings just when someone is crying, and a single shoe goes missing only when we are running late?
Then I remember the power of the Lord as written in Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man’s
heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” So even if we don’t complete those lesson plans,
the Lord’s purpose for our children will be fulfilled. Our job is to teach our children to love and
obey the Lord so that they will be listening for His call and obedient to His direction.
We will teach our children what we can. Do we really think we can “cover everything”? Do we
really need to? After we are done teaching them, they will continue to teach themselves. How much
have we learned since we left home? How much of what we did learn during our school days has been
forgotten because we don’t use that knowledge on a regular basis? After all, most of us went to
public schools. Our children are destined to do better.
Does this mean I will be tossing my lesson plans? No. But it reminds me that though I have the
desire to “cover it all”, I am human and will fall short. The Lord will mold my children into who He
wants them to be.
What about those days my house is in The Spin Cycle? I don’t think there is an easy answer for
that. I simply try to keep a sense of humor and remember that after my children leave the nest, my
house will stay clean and I will look back on these hectic years and miss them terribly.
Jan. 2004
by Dawn Cole
Sometimes I get worried about “getting it all done” in our home school. If I think about it long
enough my head will spin. First there is reading, writing, and math. Plus science, social studies, and
history. Then there’s music and art. Almost forgot PE. OK, I need books…time to teach from those
books…written assignments to show what they are learning. Should I test them? I have four
students...each in a different grade. Then there’s the laundry, dishes, and other housework. A voice
reaches my dizzy brain...“Hi Honey, I’m home. What’s for dinner?” AAAAAARGH! HELP!
This is what I call The Spin Cycle. Sometimes it is in my mind as I struggle with my insecurities as
a homeschool mom. Sometimes it is in my house as I try to “get it all done”. Fate seems to have a
sense of humor. Why is it that unexpected company likes to drop by when the house is a wreck, the
phone rings just when someone is crying, and a single shoe goes missing only when we are running late?
Then I remember the power of the Lord as written in Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man’s
heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” So even if we don’t complete those lesson plans,
the Lord’s purpose for our children will be fulfilled. Our job is to teach our children to love and
obey the Lord so that they will be listening for His call and obedient to His direction.
We will teach our children what we can. Do we really think we can “cover everything”? Do we
really need to? After we are done teaching them, they will continue to teach themselves. How much
have we learned since we left home? How much of what we did learn during our school days has been
forgotten because we don’t use that knowledge on a regular basis? After all, most of us went to
public schools. Our children are destined to do better.
Does this mean I will be tossing my lesson plans? No. But it reminds me that though I have the
desire to “cover it all”, I am human and will fall short. The Lord will mold my children into who He
wants them to be.
What about those days my house is in The Spin Cycle? I don’t think there is an easy answer for
that. I simply try to keep a sense of humor and remember that after my children leave the nest, my
house will stay clean and I will look back on these hectic years and miss them terribly.
