nicolelemmonds
01-11-2010, 06:18 AM
Science fiction author Robert Heinlein said:
“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”
Whoa, right? How often have you felt enslaved by daily trivia? After being at home for more than 8 years and homeschooling our children for many of them, I can honestly say it happens more than I'd like to admit. And I've always heard (and found through personal experience) that January and February are the hardest months for homeschoolers. Maybe it is coming off the holiday high or too-long of a break from routine. Maybe it's being stuck inside with freezing temperatures holding us hostage, or the fact that we look at what we have left to do more than half way through the year and our heads spin thinking about planning for the coming year. No matter what the reasons, you don't have to spend the tail end of winter in a homeschool funk. Take this opportunity to recharge, refocus and reclaim your passion for doing what you do. Here are some steps I found online to get you started (with a few of my own suggestions mixed in)...
1. Set a clear goal and vision of what you want. Write it down. Be specific, and include the details. Make the decision to have what you want and make a firm commitment to get it by a specific date. You may have done this at the beginning of the year, if so, revisit it. If not, do it now.
2. Have unwavering faith and belief that you will achieve your goal. Be willing to do what it takes. God will get you through it, but it will take hard work on your part as well. Never doubt your ability (through Him) to get the job done.
3. Develop a plan of action and do something right now and every day to achieve your goal. The sooner you create momentum, the faster you will get your heart’s desire. You can’t receive your goal with wishful thinking. You have to accept personal responsibility, get off your bum, and take continuous steps to achieve your goal every single day.
4. Adopt a positive attitude, surround yourself with like-minded people, and create an environment that supports your goal. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn is attributed with saying, “You are the sum total of the 5 people you hang around with the most.” If you and your friends are not on the same page, find a new posse. Surround yourself with the people who help you stay focused on your goal. *See more on this below.
5. Express gratitude and happiness for your progress and achievements every day. Accept yourself and who you are. This goes for your spouse and children as well. Treat everyone with respect and dignity. Operate in total truth and honesty. Love what you do. Know that God is good and all things work for His purpose.
The hardest part - the part most people miss - is really defining what you want, implementing a plan of action, and following it consistently.
From my own experience I might add a 6th step or at least a footnote that says: Allow room for grace! Although I do agree it is important to set goals and work towards them, as long as giving yourself some wiggle room doesn't completely derail your goals, most of us do need to cut ourselves a little slack from time to time. If you've found though that the wiggle room has turned into a gaping abyss, you might need to stick to steps 1-5 until you're back on track.
As you assess your plans for next year do you find that you need a short-term curriculum that provide structure? A long-term plan or vision for homeschooling through the high school years? A plan for consistent academics backed with a group of like-minded homeschoolers who can hold you accountable, and with whom you can vent about the frustrations of homeschooling, laugh about the hilarity of some homeschool days, and celebrate the triumphs you and your children achieve?
Classical Conversations can provide all of those things and more. For grades K4 through high school, CC provides structure, accountability, help with record keeping, testing, field trips, laughter, friendship and more. And through it all we give the glory to God. As we strive to Know God and To Make Him Known we find out more about our world and about each other.
Come visit our Tuesday classes at the Fort Mill CC campus and see us in action. Maybe it'll be just the thing you need to recharge, refocus and reclaim your passion for homeschooling. And be on the lookout for emails regarding our early spring open house and info meetings.
Visit our web site at www.fortmillcc.com or the main Classical Conversations website at www.classicalconversations.com.
Please shoot me an email to let me know you'll be joining us or if you have any questions at all about our program. And Happy Homeschooling!
--
Nicole Lemmonds
Classical Conversations of Fort Mill
Foundations/Essentials Director
(803) 802-0104
nicole@lemmonds.com
www.fortmillcc.com
Education is not the filling of a pail,
but the lighting of a fire.
-- W. B. Yeats
“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”
Whoa, right? How often have you felt enslaved by daily trivia? After being at home for more than 8 years and homeschooling our children for many of them, I can honestly say it happens more than I'd like to admit. And I've always heard (and found through personal experience) that January and February are the hardest months for homeschoolers. Maybe it is coming off the holiday high or too-long of a break from routine. Maybe it's being stuck inside with freezing temperatures holding us hostage, or the fact that we look at what we have left to do more than half way through the year and our heads spin thinking about planning for the coming year. No matter what the reasons, you don't have to spend the tail end of winter in a homeschool funk. Take this opportunity to recharge, refocus and reclaim your passion for doing what you do. Here are some steps I found online to get you started (with a few of my own suggestions mixed in)...
1. Set a clear goal and vision of what you want. Write it down. Be specific, and include the details. Make the decision to have what you want and make a firm commitment to get it by a specific date. You may have done this at the beginning of the year, if so, revisit it. If not, do it now.
2. Have unwavering faith and belief that you will achieve your goal. Be willing to do what it takes. God will get you through it, but it will take hard work on your part as well. Never doubt your ability (through Him) to get the job done.
3. Develop a plan of action and do something right now and every day to achieve your goal. The sooner you create momentum, the faster you will get your heart’s desire. You can’t receive your goal with wishful thinking. You have to accept personal responsibility, get off your bum, and take continuous steps to achieve your goal every single day.
4. Adopt a positive attitude, surround yourself with like-minded people, and create an environment that supports your goal. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn is attributed with saying, “You are the sum total of the 5 people you hang around with the most.” If you and your friends are not on the same page, find a new posse. Surround yourself with the people who help you stay focused on your goal. *See more on this below.
5. Express gratitude and happiness for your progress and achievements every day. Accept yourself and who you are. This goes for your spouse and children as well. Treat everyone with respect and dignity. Operate in total truth and honesty. Love what you do. Know that God is good and all things work for His purpose.
The hardest part - the part most people miss - is really defining what you want, implementing a plan of action, and following it consistently.
From my own experience I might add a 6th step or at least a footnote that says: Allow room for grace! Although I do agree it is important to set goals and work towards them, as long as giving yourself some wiggle room doesn't completely derail your goals, most of us do need to cut ourselves a little slack from time to time. If you've found though that the wiggle room has turned into a gaping abyss, you might need to stick to steps 1-5 until you're back on track.
As you assess your plans for next year do you find that you need a short-term curriculum that provide structure? A long-term plan or vision for homeschooling through the high school years? A plan for consistent academics backed with a group of like-minded homeschoolers who can hold you accountable, and with whom you can vent about the frustrations of homeschooling, laugh about the hilarity of some homeschool days, and celebrate the triumphs you and your children achieve?
Classical Conversations can provide all of those things and more. For grades K4 through high school, CC provides structure, accountability, help with record keeping, testing, field trips, laughter, friendship and more. And through it all we give the glory to God. As we strive to Know God and To Make Him Known we find out more about our world and about each other.
Come visit our Tuesday classes at the Fort Mill CC campus and see us in action. Maybe it'll be just the thing you need to recharge, refocus and reclaim your passion for homeschooling. And be on the lookout for emails regarding our early spring open house and info meetings.
Visit our web site at www.fortmillcc.com or the main Classical Conversations website at www.classicalconversations.com.
Please shoot me an email to let me know you'll be joining us or if you have any questions at all about our program. And Happy Homeschooling!
--
Nicole Lemmonds
Classical Conversations of Fort Mill
Foundations/Essentials Director
(803) 802-0104
nicole@lemmonds.com
www.fortmillcc.com
Education is not the filling of a pail,
but the lighting of a fire.
-- W. B. Yeats