Making a Change – Accountability and Responsibility Through Routine

Welcome to week 1 of the Virtual Curriculum Fair. This is my first year participating but I have always enjoyed the posts shared. For week 1, the theme is See How We Learn. The VCF is hosted by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds. This will also serve as the Middle School Monday post for today. With the preliminary information out of the way, let’s jump in.

Daily life.

I don’t know about you but it seems to throw me for a loop often. It seems like no matter how well things are scheduled or planned, a wrench ends up in there causing havoc.

Due to that unpredictability, I loved working without a set time schedule. It worked well for us the first couple of years. We just jumped in when we were ready each day, did our work (which was basically a checklist), and then were done. I wrote things down as we went along and kept records as needed.

Last summer, we re-evaluated it all due to struggles we were having. And we gave the girls some input on whether they wanted time blocks or lists or to be told item by item what to do. We ended up with one of each kind. That’s okay, though. It works. And it helps us deal with changes to schedules, doctors appointments, illness, the blues, or just the crazy hectic schedule we ended up with this year.

But really, you what made the most difference? Accountability and responsibility. We had a pretty good talk with each of the girls. In this talk we discussed the following:

• what was expected in regards to attitude – from God and from us
• what was expected in regards to housework – daily chores and responsibilities
• general timeline for starting school – 9:00 each morning with their morning responsibilities taken care of
• completing school work – each of these discussions was different because one chose a blocked time schedule, one wanted a list so she could “do the next thing”, and the other wanted to come to us for each of the items on her school list for the day; just for a note: I do have a blocked schedule written out for each of the girls just in case and to help me stay on “schedule” but they don’t have to work by it.
• school work accountability – Miss E has a simple to make checklist that she actually checks off each day, Miss L goes through her own checklist that she completes visually, and Miss J relies on my notes in my planner

This discussion was perhaps the very best things we have done so far with homeschooling. I forget sometimes that clear expectations make it easier to actually MEET those expectations. For me and for the girls. So by us taking the time to include the girls and be clear about what we expected, it has placed more responsibility on each of them and they have become stronger because of it.

Is it perfect? Nope. We still have plenty of days where things don’t get fully done or where attitudes (mine and theirs) are less than ideal. But overall? This has been a wonderfully freeing choice and it is very simple to remind them of the plans and expectations. They then take a deep breathe, reassess, and move forward on a better path. Most of the time.

Another thing that has made a huge difference in accomplishing what we need to? Me.

Yep – I make a difference. If I am not doing well, am in a bad mood, or didn’t sleep well, it can easily affect everyone else in the family. I soooooo wish that were not true but it is. Another example of that accountability and responsibility we talked to the girls about.

So, I have tried harder to take the responsibility for setting the daily tone. Some days I do well. Other days? Well, not so much.

Still, what have I found that makes it easier for me to hold my temper, speak kindly, or have the patience necessary to teach math when no one wants to do it? I need a morning routine just as much as the girls do.

My morning routine?

1. prayer before I get out of bed
2. get dressed (for exercise most of the time)
3. make my tea and drink it while reading my Bible and devotional
4. exercise and shower
5. get some breakfast
6. get started on schooling/housework/daily life

This works extremely well for me most days. Some days? We still hit bumps but that is life.

Daily life.

Welcome to our imperfect life where we love each other fiercely (sometimes more loudly than others), love God more, and work together to learn and grow and become the women God created each of us to be. All this with the help of the lone male around our house, At Home Dad. Come on in and enjoy life with us.

At Home.

The following VCF participants have written their take on the theme of See How We Learn. Next week we will be addressing the theme of Playing With Words: the Language Arts. Until then, please take some time to go visit the blogs of these homeschoolers.

I invite you to see how my fellow bloggers learn in their homeschools (note: all posts will be live by noon EST, Jan. 2nd):

The Evolution of Our Homeschool by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds

Us-School Because We Are Us, Not Someone Else by Laura @ Four Little Penguins

It’s All About the School by Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays

Setting the Stage- the 2017 Virtual Curriculum Fair! by Lisa N. @ Golden Grasses

New Year, New Goals, New School! by Amanda H @ Hopkins Homeschool

Homeschooling – A Glimpse into How We Do it by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

Spotlight on How We Learn in Our Homeschool by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World

Our Unique Eclectic Homeschool  by Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life

How We Learn on the Go by Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning

Home Education – 10 Ways We Make It Work by Lizzy @ Peaches At Home

Schedules, where would I be without them? by Kim @ Good Sweet Love

Education at Our House by Shecki @ Greatly Blessed

Starting the Day Well by Sarah @ Delivering Grace

Making a Change – Accountability and Responsibility Through Routine by Lori H @ At Home: where life happens

A time to be encouraged is coming.. the Virtual Curriculum Fair by Annette @ A Net in Time

Loving the Moment! by Jen K @ A Peace of Mind

Keeping Our Homeschool Organized by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool

Homeschool Goal Setting – Looking Forward, Looking Back by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset

How We Choose Curriculum by Brittney @ Mom’s Heart

This Is How We Homeschool by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break

How we don’t learn in our homeschool & how I don’t plan {2017 Virtual Homeschool Curriculum Fair} by Meghan @ Quiet in the Chaos

Learning Our Way by Lisa @ McClanahan 7

Limping Along: Our Semi-Eclectic Approach to Homeschooling by Debra @Footprints in the Butter

2017 Virtual Curriculum Fair: See How We Learn by Dana L @ Luv’N Lambert Life

And even more ideas can be found by clicking through for the Linkup!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Tagged: encouragement, Middle School, schedules/routines, VCF