Summers are full of fun. With vacations, cookouts, lazy days at the pool or lake, and just general rest and relaxation, who would ever want summer to end?
While the summer offers a much-needed break from the busyness of homeschooling, eventually it comes time to get back into the swing of things.
3 Reasons to Get Excited for a New School Year
When August rolls around, attitudes toward starting a new school year can vary among homeschool parents. Some are eager to jump back in, while others are more hesitant, wishing for at least another four more weeks of summer relaxation.
Whatever camp you fall into, there is much to look forward to this new school year!
1. Routine
You might be thinking, “Routines aren’t something to get excited about! I want my summer freedom!”
Sure, there are times when routines are helpful, and times when they are not. For example, after months of a consistent routine, summer offers the opportunity to relax your schedule, not wake up to your alarm clock, and take the kiddos to the pool or out for ice cream whenever you feel like it.
But conversely, routines also have their place. They provide structure, predictability, and consistency to our days and weeks so that we can progress toward and eventually accomplish our goals — like graduating our children from high school!
So, in that sense, routines are something to get excited about. Of course, it’s important not to over-schedule your time but rather balance routine with flexibility and freedom so you can still find time to rest even in the midst of the school year.
2. Learning
At Classical Conversations, we often say that homeschool parents have a unique opportunity to reclaim their own education by relearning concepts and teaching them to their children. So, another reason to get fired up about the new school year is to pick up learning right alongside your child.
Because the Classical Conversations programs are comprehensive, many parents not only relearn concepts forgotten from their elementary to high school days but also discover new facts and ideas. For example, teaching your child the timeline song in Foundations is an opportunity to understand the great story of history better!
As far as the Challenge program, many parents find that using this middle to high school level homeschool curriculum to teach their children is comparable to receiving a college-level degree. At least the folks at Southeastern University believe so since they have kindly partnered with Classical Conversations to offer a Master of Arts in Classical Studies degree to parents who teach their children through the upper levels of Challenge!
While learning alongside your child involves work, it’s certainly something to look forward to for the new school year.
3. Community
For Classical Conversations members, summers are also a break from consistent, weekly community days. In community, Classical Conversations members not only learn together, but they also do life together, making lifelong friends along the homeschooling journey.
While summers are fun and relaxing, they can also mean time away from encouraging, supportive friends, both for students and for parents. So, get excited for the start of community to catch up with your friends and make new ones!
What Are You Excited for This School Year?
Excited about something not on our list? Tag us on Instagram or Facebook to tell us what you are most looking forward to about this upcoming school year!
Not yet a Classical Conversations member and interested in our community-based approach to homeschooling? We’d love to hear from you! To learn more about us, click here.
