Ask the Experts: How Do You Keep Homeschooling Joyful and Avoid Burnout?

Start Every Day with Prayers…

Is your home school like mine? Every day is joyful and straight out of “Snow White,” complete with singing birds and animals helping make the bed, and mice sweeping the floor, and your children devoutly saying their prayers and doing their schoolwork? No? Neither is mine. We are raising humans, not movie characters.

Being a parent is hard. Homeschooling adds another burden on top of that. A beautiful one, but it can be heavy.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have called my husband and said, “This is it. For real this time. Call up the public school.”

Give yourself grace. You have chosen something hard, and hard things are worth doing. The Lord sees your sacrifices, your tears when no one is around, and your struggles.

Lean on Him. Start every day with prayer, even if it is just “Jesus, I trust in You.” Have your husband help. Is there a subject he can take over? Call the counselors at Seton and talk to them.

Take care of yourself- mind, body, and soul. I know it is said all the time, but it is true. Do something you enjoy. Crochet. Paint. I am an avid reader and have been in some sort of book club for twenty years.

Take breaks from the books when needed. Body- exercise. Eat more than the scraps left over from your children’s plates. Soul- keep close to the church and Her sacraments. Have at least one close friend.

We can do this. With Him, all things are possible.

Kristen Brown, Virginia

Time-tested Methods…

Like most long-term endeavors, homeschooling can lead to burnout. However, unlike other undertakings, homeschooling affords you greater control over the means to avoid that pitfall.

While I can’t say I never fell into the trap of less-than-joyful moments, I did rely on a few time-tested methods to help our homeschool stay the course and return to joy more quickly. Firstly, I planned our homeschool schedule so that we had ample breaks spaced throughout the school year.

I preferred the year-round calendar. We focused on nine-week semesters with two-week breaks. It’s a lot easier to trudge through a difficult period when you have the hope of a rest period on the near horizon.

In addition, a year-round schedule freed me from the fear of falling behind. I understood that we controlled the school calendar, rather than the calendar controlling us. And it allowed the flexibility to rearrange the days or weeks as needed.

If a spontaneous field trip opportunity presented itself, we went. If the holidays offered us extra activities, we participated. I could stretch a week’s worth of lessons over two weeks when doing so allowed us to enjoy extracurriculars.

Lastly, focusing on what really matters is the key to experiencing joy in every homeschool day and shrugging off the temptations to burnout. Struggles come, and they go. Remember that. Children grow up, and time with them is short. Keep that in mind.

Homeschooling is more than ABCs and math equations; it’s about learning how to live. With that perspective in mind, each day is a privilege to be grateful for.

Tara Brelinsky, North Carolina

Maintain the Joy in Homeschooling…

There may be several reasons for burnout in a homeschool, specific to each family. But to generally avoid it, I have found that having a homeschool group or co-op can be a lifesaver.

Being part of a homeschooling group is a treasure trove of friendships for both parents and children. If the group meets weekly, it helps break up the school week with fun classes and field trips for the kids and a chance for the adults to talk.

During these opportunities to get together for conversation, I have found that it helps both the mentor and the mentee.

Everyone needs to be strengthened by others. To maintain the joy in homeschooling, it is important to remember that Christian Joy is not the same as happiness.

A quick way to bring joy back to yourself is to remember why you chose homeschooling. Looking at current society will return joy to your heart that you made the right decision to homeschool, even if there are times of burnout.

Susan Brock – North Carolina