Procrastination

Of all the traits I want to pass on to my kids, my gift of procrastination is NOT one them. I swear I work better under pressure, but what if something comes up in the last minute? While I got through college on Big Gulps and M & M's (nothing like a sugar high to get you through an all night cram session), I would like to teach planning and organization as a better way to function.

We all have our different styles of teaching and planning. Even in unstructured schooling, there is a level of organization that must be involved. With different types of learners in the home, we might need several ways to keep them engaged. Many new homeschoolers are so overwhelmed because they think they need to run a tight ship and keep their kids on a plan like a regular school. The whole point of being at home is so that the parent can decide what works best.

For us, we need a schedule and a plan. We need some guidelines and dates to keep us on track. This is because, as I mentioned earlier, I am the Queen of Procrastination. If we followed my natural instinct, we would be up at 3:00 in the morning doing vocabulary.

So my advice to new homeschoolers is this, find out what works for you and your kids. Ask a lot of questions. We like to laugh at ourselves and some mistakes we have made. Make homeschooling an "experience". Relax! Be excited! If you are stressed about it, then your kids will feel like something is wrong. Pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. Since I know I tend to do things at the last minute, I force myself to use a schedule. This is the only way to get things done on time without panic.

As time goes on, I will posts links to some of my favorite sites and make copies of my organizational materials. That is of course, if I don't procrastinate!

Happy Homeschooling!