A considerable amount of schoolwork can be accomplished from mom's sickbed.

Numerous pregnancies have meant numerous bouts of morning sickness and postpartum recovery. In my early years of home schooling, I would become so depressed because I just didn't feel like "doing school." That's partly because "doing school" meant sitting in a certain room around a certain table with a certain posture. One of the best lessons I've learned from home schooling I learned because of being in less than peak physical condition all year long. What did I learn? Mom's sickbed is apparently the very coolest place in the world to do school. In fact, it's so popular that even when I'm back to normal, it still beats the sofa out as best read-aloud location. Instead of losing a day of school, I can tell a child which books to bring to me and we can sometimes get a full day's worth of school work finished just sitting on my bed. I know that there are many times that an illness in the family is very serious and at those times school work is often best laid to the side, but so many times we can recover time that might be lost if we insist on doing things the "proper" way.

Home schooling is best accomplished at home.

Over the years, we've been involved in some terrific activities. Even though I have enough children so that no one ever has to play alone, I still want my children to have opportunities to be around other children. There are so many wonderful co-ops, activity groups, and academic classes being offered to home schoolers. Unfortunately, many times the effect of our involvement in outside activities has been more negative than positive. First of all, taking seven children anywhere is stressful. I have found that doing it more than once a week is just not wise. Not only do we fall behind in school work, but the daily household routine suffers. As a rule, a week of high activity will see flared tempers (especially mine!). Too much evening activity is just as bad. Sleep schedules are thrown off, evening chores are missed, and family time is nonexistent. I have found one rule to be undeniable in my home — no family time means no sense of family. When my children seem to be bickering more than usual, I sometimes stop to think, "How long since our last quality night together?... Have we been on the go too much lately?" Time for popcorn and a special movie, or a night of game playing. Time lost during the day leads to lack of focus and frustrated students. No wonder we're struggling with fractions; we've missed math twice this week! Outside activities can really enhance your home school experience, but it is vitally important that you seek a healthy balance for your schedule and remember the "home" in "home school."

Some things matter more than others.

My house is a mess. It always is. At best, I manage the clutter and disarray by keeping it from totally crippling us. In my heart, I dream of a Better Homes & Gardens model house. In reality, we try to keep things from growing in the pantry and strive for children's rooms that aren't fire hazards. I know plenty of home schooling families that have nice, neat homes; some of these families have as many children as I have. What's the deal? I guess it comes down to one thing — some things just matter more than others. If it really, really mattered to me that my home was immaculate, it would be a high priority. Please don't get the wrong impression and think that I'm just a slob who lets her children destroy her home while she reads novels and eats bon-bons. We have a chore system and everyone in my house is responsible for certain jobs. We try to do these jobs every single day and I endeavor to teach my children the sense of pride that comes from doing a good job well. But a really clean living room means room for our favorite games and puzzles. Bunk beds just scream for bedsheet tents. And once you've built the perfect beanie baby zoo... how can you be expected to just put it all away?? Some day I will have no one to make messes and nothing but time to clean. Look for me in Better Homes & Gardens.

A few last thoughts on other lessons I've learned from home schooling...

• World history is much more interesting the second time around.
• Algebra is still algebra.
• There aren't many things sweeter than watching an 8-year-old teach a 2-year-old how to "read."
• The first crisp day of fall is a valid school holiday.
• Everything is a science project.
• Life is sweet and God is good.
• This too shall pass... sooner than you think.

Copyright 2003, Mary James. Article may not be reprinted in any form. For permission to reprint, contact the author at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (512) 639-9341.

This article first appeared in the August, 2003, issue of the Texas Home School Coalition REVIEW magazine, distributed quarterly to readers free of charge. The REVIEW focuses on current events, thoughts from home school leaders, and resources and services to help with teaching at home.