Not a Sprint or a Marathon

Homeschoolers often say that this learning life is a marathon, not a sprint. We are in it for the long haul. If we’re lucky, this project is going to last decades. But I’m not sure that’s the right metaphor.

What if homeschooling were more like a good walk that you take every day. Maybe around the block to greet the neighborhood cats, maybe down to the river to look at the boats, maybe out to the bluff to watch the moon rise.

Small, repeatable steps are the key to beating perfectionism, building consistency, and growing as a homeschooler.

Those expectations that we talked about are just perfectionism masquerading as an item on our to-do list. As long things aren’t perfect, then we can maybe be let off the hook. How can we really get down to homeschooling when our house is too small or our kids are too wiggly? We can mistake our longing for perfection for high standards. But instead of inspiring us, perfectionism binds us in fear. Small steps can loose the hold that perfection has on us. We don’t need to be perfect, we just need to take the next right step.

There are so many moving pieces to a homeschool day. My own list for this afternoon includes laundry, dinner, and a trip to the post office. And that list doesn’t even include any of our homeschool work! It’s hard to consistently keep all the balls up in the air. But I can consistently take small steps and see real progress.

When we are growing as homeschoolers, our direction matters more than our speed. We won’t necessarily see the fruit of our labor very soon. Though we can practice remembering what went right in our busy days.

What small step can you take toward peace in your homeschool day?