Katie Thompson

It’s been a few weeks since our last update, but we have stayed full steam ahead in our home preschool efforts in the meantime.

One aspect about home preschool that I knew would present challenges are the days when my health issues flare up to the point that it’s hard for me to teach, and low and behold that has happened right away. I am thankful to finally be feeling a bit better, but it’s taught me a lot about how to handle flare ups and teaching simultaneously early on.

As such, I’ve spent the past few weeks just making sure the kids received their instruction without interference. Some days, our two hours together is all I can manage. A lot of days I collapse right afterwards or end up having to take a nap later in the day. And that’s okay! The kids haven’t missed a thing, and I feel better knowing I’ve still given them what they need, and managed to still accomplish something myself.

Another tricky aspect is balancing my work, treatments, appointments, and own personal needs with their schedules. As I’ve stated going back to in-person medical appointments again, that has definitely thrown a wrench in our schedule some days.

The beauty of it all though is that home preschool also allows the flexibility to be able to move our schedule around as needed. If we have to miss a Tuesday because I’m spending several hours in Charleston at the doctor, it’s perfectly fine. We can make it up on the weekend, or a holiday, or some other time. We’re going at our own pace, and being able to provide such intensive attention to both of them helps ensure that we stay on track.

I found that keeping with our routine as much as possible also helped me keep moving on those rough days. It motivated me to stay focused on my own work too. Their bright little minds inspire me to keep giving my best to everything I do, no matter how that may look some days.

We’ve also had a lot of fun starting the fall and spooky seasons with our lessons! We’ve made Halloween decorations and fall-themed crafts. A fellow homeschool parent gave me a great suggestion to buy a few seasonal items to bring out throughout the year, such as Halloween-themed stickers or books. It’s helped change things up a bit without a lot of effort. Plus the kids love working towards new rewards or fun activities. 

As I’ve found with a lot of things during my short time doing home preschool, it doesn’t take a lot to make a big impact! And I mean that both academically for the kids, and also as a reminder for myself. My value isn’t determined by what I can get done in a day, and I have to remind myself that often. But this experience has shown me just how valuable I truly am in their lives as a mother and now teacher, and it’s helped all of us tremendously, and even in ways we can’t recognize immediately.