Episode 04: Sara Jayne: Not Teacher of the Year

Homeschooling Update 

In this episode of the Fast Lane with Sara Jayne podcast, our host shares an update on homeschooling her children during this time of social distancing. Sara Jayne recounts some of the challenges she has faced over the last few weeks as well as some of the surprising successes her family has enjoyed. This episode will help you think about how you can adjust your expectations as situations shift. 

Episode Highlights: 

• The first week of homeschooling went well, but it was stressful because people were getting to know the routine. During that first week, they did school from 8:30-3:00.
• Sara Jayne recounts having her child go through several workbooks.
• The second week, they went for a bike ride over the weekend and she felt dread about returning to “school” on Monday.
• Her kids complained about doing so many worksheets but she insisted.
• Sara Jayne realized that she was taking school at home quite seriously. 
• This went on for three weeks, then she slowly started going back to work at her normal job. At that point, they cut school down to four hours.
• Meanwhile, her baby loves to throw things away and assignments go missing. This was one of the challenges.
• Sara Jayne's child told her that he didn't need to do certain tasks or assignments. She ended up ripping a stack of papers in half. This became an opportunity to have a good conversation. 
• She explained to her child that she wasn't a good student. 
• Sara Jayne tells us about her struggles with math through high school.
• Before she had kids, Sara Jayne decided that she would make sure her kids were always prepared academically.
• Sara Jayne talks about how she felt she never had the option to be the smartest kid in the class because she didn't have the natural brain it required and wasn't given help when she asked for it.  
• The next week, her work became more time-consuming. They needed to get school done in just a couple of hours. This helped her back off.
• Let's take a moment and appreciate what teachers do for children.
• Sara Jayne now realizes that everyone is going to be fine.
• Sara Jayne thinks she could homeschool if she had her own curriculum.
• Sara Jayne has learned a lot about her kids since they've been home.
• This whole situation has helped them to slow down their lifestyle.
• One of Sara Jayne's children has asked for a dedicated meditation space.
• Remember that better days are ahead. 

3 Key Points:

1. It can be easy to want to take homeschooling during this time very seriously. 
2. Even if you back off from homeschooling, it is likely that your children will still be ok.
3. Remember to acknowledge the hard work of teachers and what they do for individual students with various needs.