heartofdakota.com

Hi ladies!

I was recently asked a great question by a fellow homeschool mom. She asked about how to stay motivated as a homeschool teacher through the many years of homeschooling. First, I'll say simply using Heart of Dakota keeps me quite motivated, as all of the planning is done and there is little prep - not to mention the books are amazing, and it is just plain fun! Starting a new HOD guide has always been motivating for me, as it is fresh and fun. Returning to old familiar favorites as I use past guides I've taught with my upcoming younger children is motivating as well. Little reminders of what we've done around the home keep me motivated too...

https://www.heartofdakota.com/blog/2020 ... -our-home/

I also like to do little things to keep our home happy and filled with joy...

https://www.heartofdakota.com/blog/2018 ... kota-life/

However, even with all of these things I have done to stay motivated and joyful, homeschooling for the past nearly 20 years, I will say levels of motivation fluctuate. In times when I’ve been less motivated, I personally go back to why I am homeschooling…

https://www.heartofdakota.com/.../why-a ... schooling/

It also helps me to ponder why I am low on motivation. Sometimes, I’ve needed to add some ‘fun’ back into my life, like dating my husband again or like getting together with my sister for coffee more. Sometimes, I’ve needed to drop some things I’m involved in, like leading a women’s Bible study or running to town every few days for chiropractor well-visits for all the boys. These were good things, but they had made life so busy I couldn’t enjoy my homeschooling like I wanted to. Other times, I’ve needed to rework my laundry, breakfast/lunch/supper meals, cleaning, chores to be more practical and to enlist help from others (i.e. like my children).

Sometimes, I realized I needed an errand day for appointments or just to be able to exercise if I wanted to. Or, I’ve needed to add some vitamins, some probiotics, hormone replacement, thyroid meds, etc. or get to bed earlier to get more sleep. Finally, I’ve found taking time with God each morning is like oxygen for me. I highly recommend Joyce Meyer’s devotionals, especially her “Trusting God” devotional, or you can check out my devotional for encouragement too, which you can click on within my blog: https://my3sons-julie.blogspot.com/.

These seem like small changes, but they made a big impact on my daily motivation!

I will say I am glad I’ve persevered with homeschooling these many years. I’ve made it a priority and made changes to my life as needed to stay motivated.

https://www.heartofdakota.com/.../put-your-oxygen-mask.../
https://www.heartofdakota.com/.../tired-overwhelmed.../

Finally, I will say the number one motivator for me is to see how my oldest son turned out. He is in his second year of online college and thriving! He loves his life, his family, and his church. He is a hard worker, and his faith is firmly intact. He is a good son and a good brother, who is eager to help and slow to expect recognition. He has easily transitioned into college, into our church's college/career Sunday School class, into our church's weekly men's group, into a very diverse/eclectic large group of men who play basketball at our gym, etc. This is pure motivation for me to finish strong with my last two sons.

So, how does Heart of Dakota motivate you to keep homeschooling? How do you make life decisions to motivate you that will keep you homeschooling? This c-c-c-old January, as many of us are in the middle of our homeschool year, what can you share here that would be motivating to other homeschool moms using HOD?

In Christ,
Julie

This is a great topic, and one near and dear to my heart! I honestly think remaining motivated to stay the course can be a challenge, especially as the years pass and more students need teaching each year.

More than a decade ago, I read an article by a homeschool mom who is long retired. I remember it as a light-bulb moment for me, so I thought I'd share a few takeaways from it with all of you. In the article, she shared that by the time her kids were middle school and high school-aged many of her friends who had been homeschooling had put their kids in school. This caused a bit of a crisis of confidence in her life, as by comparison she wasn't sure she could do as good a job of educating her children as the school could. As the years passed, she had some highs and some lows. She struggled with her own health. Her kids weren't always perfect or excelling in everything. They struggled through some years and others went easier.

By the time her kids were close to graduation, she finally began to see the fruit of her many years of labor. Her children enjoyed her company. She could talk with her children like friends. Her kids shared their thoughts and deep desires with her. They had learned to care for each other through times of sickness. They learned to be flexible and servant-hearted. They had formed long-lasting bonds with their mother and their siblings. She shared that if she had put her kids in school and seen this fruit, she would have thought it was the school that produced the fruit. But, instead she reaped the reward of what she had sown in due time.

I have been blessed to see similar fruit in my own son's lives! In our household, the final high school years have been so sweet with each son who has passed this way so far. I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Often the rewards of homeschooling come after years of sowing. The fruit takes time to be grow. Many times what you reap will be far beyond the academics. For me that is enough to keep me motivated. We sow and trust God to produce the fruit in His timing.

Blessings,
Carrie

Oh my! I needed to read that, Carrie!

So many people around us seem to be putting their children in school. On top of this, I’ve had so many health struggles that it can be so hard to push through. We know we are called to this though. We continually push forward, and even though some days are hard I can definitely see some fruits. There are days I truly question if we are accomplishing enough, but then God always steps in and shines a little light on something to help me push through. Thank you so much for posting this!

Oh! I am so glad to have helped! It is so important to not lose sight of the big picture but that is often hard to keep in mind in the day-to-day

Thanks for sharing!

Blessings,
Carrie