We are into our second year homeschooling (not counting S's 1st grade year), and it is going great! We had some things to iron out from last year, and I think we found the answers to some of the problems.
The number one thing I have learned is that I MUST sit beside the kids during school time. It is essential for seeing what they are doing, making sure they understand each new assignment, checking and grading their work promptly and, most of all, keeping them motivated. One of the two is very self-motivated most of the time. The other is NOT usually, however this year has shown some marked improvement on the attitude. PRAISE THE LORD! It is very hard to teach someone who doesn't want to learn. :)
A. is 3 now, and she is much more interested in school. It has been hard to focus on the older two with her frequent requests for attention. The baby is now over a year old, too, and he is also much more active and demanding of time. All in all, however, things are going well, and I am very, very thankful.
There is so much to do as a stay-at-home mother and homeschool family of four. I have always loved large families, and I have always felt the desire to have six children to love and rear in the admonition of God. If circumstances were better, I would wholeheartedly welcome as many as God would send. And yet I wonder how in the world a woman can handle all the responsibilities and the multiple demands for her attention. And I'm reminded that it can be done, but only by asking for patience from the One who has interminable patience for His children. And I'm humbled.
