Don’t Give Up! You Can Finish Strong

May 14, 2018
Written by:
Tasha Swearingen

Is it June yet? Seriously – one more month of this homeschooling stuff and you’ll probably be ready to turn your parent card in – right? With your sanity on the brink, you can rest assured that you can do this. You can finish strong! But this post (and some chocolate) might make you feel better in the process!

Why You May Feel Ready to Quit

If you think about it, we tend to get antsy about things as they’re about to come to a close. This is especially true if Are you counting down to the end of the homeschooling year?something is fairly new to us. For instance, if we start a new exercise routine, we’re gung-ho about it for the first week. By the end of week 2, we’re counting down the minutes we have left of the torturous Zumba class we once loved. That’s often because we know we’re just so close that we want to snatch the end by its neck and force it upon ourselves early. Homeschooling is no different (though we’d like to think it’s not as abrasive as Zumba can be).

Take solace in knowing that your public school counterparts are feeling the same way. Public (and, undoubtedly, private) school teachers alike are all counting down the days till summer break. Don’t believe us? Pop onto social media and see for yourself. And those are individuals who truly have a heart for doing what they do! If they are counting down in anticipation of the end, it’s no wonder you are.

Look Beyond the End

So how can you get past this rut? Look beyond the end. Look past just the end and see the beauty that is beyond simply finishing the textbooks. Try to see into the future, both the short-term future and the long-term future.

In the short-term future, you want to finish the books and probably just take a break! That’s okay and is definitely something to look forward to doing. In the long-term future, you may want to get back on the saddle and continue making progress in each subject area. An admirable goal, but it’s not something you need to think about in May. Instead, focus on the “in between” – the time period between the short-term future and the long-term future. Some people call this time period “summer break.”

Slide In With a Strong Finish!

Were you on the fence about the decision to take a summer break? We hope you’ll at least give yourself some type of You CAN finish this school year strong! break! Dear parent, you deserve to take a break after everything you’ve been through. You can finish strong – and actually finish, not continue on into next school year without skipping a beat.

The best way to finish strong is to make sure you’ve met all your goals. If you’ve changed the course (or curriculum) along the way, that’s fine but try not to change the goals. You see, sometimes it’s necessary to change curriculum mid-way through the year. In such cases, you may not necessarily finish every last page of the new curriculum. But the question to ask is,  “Have you met the goals you’d set at the beginning of the year?” As long as you have and you’re satisfied, then you can finish strong!

It’s not uncommon for homeschooling families to fret over whether they’re doing enough or whether they can/should change what’s not working. It’s also common to feel ready to throw in the towel in May. Take heart and do not give up. You’re not alone and you absolutely can finish strong!

Tasha Swearingen

Tasha is a homeschooling mom to 5 and has been homeschooling for 14 years. Currently, her children's ages span from toddler to young adult. Tasha has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Social Sciences from Florida State University and is working on her MBA through SNHU/Berklee School of Music.