Getting the balance right
In our magazine we try and look at the lighter side of home education, the chance to spend quality time with your child, the ability to impart great wisdom and family traditions on to your young and the opportunity to be an integral part of their future but unfortunately this can sometimes come at a price.
The traditional school system, although far from flawless, does provide one important lifeline, that of distance. With children tucked away at school for most of the day it allows parents and their offspring time apart. Always we hear about how we should all be spending quality time with our loved ones but how often do we hear the need for quality distance too.
With homeschooling the whole balance of work and play can sometimes become blurred, unless you are blessed with a seperate office or makeshift classroom your home can become one big school and rooms that once had a homely identity can become your workplace or detention hall. If we consider that on a daily basis you could be spending the majority of the time either teaching your children or catching up on domestic home duties, then it is not hard to see that home life can become strained, but before you quickly rush to pack up your text books and call your local school, stop and remember we are all entitled to ask for help at some point in our lives and this is no exeption.
If like many other home educating families across the uk you are struggling then be reassured you are not alone. We at The Home School recognise the added pressures that home education can bring, not only to the parents but their children too.
When i first started to home school my children seven years ago, i became very stressed and my children began to feel quite isolated. We all began to feel that home school life had taken over our lives, which it had and we all had lost sight of our own identities and interests, eventually, in time as a family, we all learned to find a way to get the balance right. The children now take on extra activities and clubs outside of the home as do i and this has certainly helped to give us all a much needed break and a chance to develop friendships and interests that extend beyond home school life.
Setting boundaries and time schedules may seem a regimental approach but for us it helps to give us back our free time, a time when we can relax and put our work behind us, the time to return to parent and child rather than teacher and pupil. When things are becoming strained it is always good to remember why you decided to home educate in the first place, that for me helps me to re focus on what i feel is important to myself and my children and helps to put things back into perspective.
If you feel you would like some advice on what you can do to get the balance right in your home school life or have concerns or problems that you would like to discuss confidentialy then contact us through the advice services listed above and we will do our upmost to help or if you would like to hear from other home educators who may be able to give you some advice based on their own personnel experiences, then post your concerns onto our Guestbook.
Alternatively we have listed some helpful web sites that we feel could provide welcome advice and information on all aspects of home and family life.
Helpful websites:
How to Enhance Your Children's Learning Environment Learn from the experts what elements in your environment aid comprehension and which do not. A unique insight into our five outer senses and how different stimulation can either enhance or interfere with proper brain function as it relates to learning abilities
www.thehomeschooladventure.com They are here to guide you through the process. There are questions to be asked and goals to be defined. We take you by the hand (and the heart)and walk you through one step at a time. Our destination? The ultimate homeschool lifestyle for you and your family!
www.stressaffect.com - A Comprehensive Guide to Stress, its Affects, and Coping with it. Make use of this effective and easy 5-step stress management plan today!
www.hypnosis-and-health.com Hypnosis CDs, hypnotherapy, motivational techniques, brain wave training and practical health advice.
http://www.education-otherwise.org/
www.positive-family-initiative.com