A look back at the first week...

We made it through the first week at the Hasty Homeschool Academy! It was better than I thought it would be and it was harder than I thought it would be. 

I started the week off with a daily schedule and for the most part we were able to stick with it. I gave myself plenty of grace to change things up and throughout the week I modified the schedule as I saw what worked for our family and what didn’t. The biggest reason I decided to schedule each day is that I am a huge procrastinator and I have found that I accomplish more when I write it down. 

The hardest part about the week was keeping the kids quiet after their school work was done. The work we received from Isaac’s school took less than an hour each day.  I am trying to give Brian a few hours each morning and each afternoon to work on his school work for seminary so I had to get creative and find other quiet things to do with the kids. We mostly did art because Isaac loves to draw and craft. We played with play doh and blocks as well. Adelyn naps in the afternoon which helps a lot!

The best part about the week was definitely more family time. I’ve enjoyed working with Isaac as he does his school work and getting more insight into how his brain works. He loves math and does that first everyday. Getting him to do the writing assignment is like pulling teeth. Overall though I am definitely seeing the benefits for homeschooling which is crazy because I never thought I would like it. 

I also wanted to share some ways I have seen God in all of this craziness right now. My life verse this year has been 2 Timothy 1:7 which says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” A few weeks ago, before I had even heard of Covid-19, Brian and I were talking about this verse and he looked at the Greek translation to help me with the meaning. The word self-discipline is translated differently in many versions of this verse but the word we found it connected most closely with from the original Greek was prudence. And prudence means cautiousness. In light of what is going on God doesn’t want us to be fearful, but to use self-discipline, to be prudent, and make wise choices. 

I’ve also seen God at work in the lives so many friends and family members near and far. Even though we are “socially distanced” I feel like this time can unite us. We are all in this together and I’ve loved seeing my friends on social media sharing their lives. We are all trying to figure out what homeschooling our kids looks like, which is different for everyone.  Also, many of those who normally homeschool are giving so many helpful tips to make this time fun and enjoyable! 

As we go through this wilderness time I want to encourage every to use prudence, enjoy time with family, and connect with those near and far with the amazing technology we now have. 

Grace and Peace,

Cassidy