Dear  Mom,

Congratulations on your first year of home schooling.  You have made a beautiful decision - one that you will enjoy and get much satisfaction from for years to come.  Please do not feel insecure about your start date.  Families home school for many reasons, one of which is flexibility.  While some may prefer to have a strict annual school schedule, other families do not have that option.  Some families may need to start early in the fall, and other families like yours may begin later.  The beauty of home schooling is it can work in many environments, at many different times.  

Let's look at your situation. Your five year old will be starting kindergarten.  Kindergarten age is a joyful time where children are just beginning to learn about God, words and numbers; and they are so excited.  However, I can imagine your distress if you are talking to other home schooling families and they are telling you how far they are into the school year.  Maybe some families have said that they will be finished by May, and you are thinking that you will be lucky if your family gets to watch next year's fireworks by the Fourth of July. 

Consider two important ideas.  Most schools started after Labor Day, and their students will spend the first month or so reviewing what they learned last year.  As for the new kindergartners who attend school, their first few weeks will be spent learning how to adjust to a new environment away from Mom and Dad.  The children will not be diving into phonics and early mathematics their first weeks.  Home schooling veterans often wait to dive into their academics, too.  Several moms ease into September.

Secondly, since you are using CHC lesson plans your school year will consist of thirty weeks.  At first glance that may seem like an eight month schedule, but it's a bit less.  Remember there are more than four weeks in most months, and we suggest two weeks off at Christmas and two weeks off at Easter.  You certainly don't have to take that much time off during breaks. You will easily finish your school year by next summer; teach plenty of material, slowly and carefully; and enjoy your school year, even if you take a few weeks to get settled into your new home.  Those CHC plans are going to be a tremendous blessing for you.

Take a deep breath and pray that Jesus will take away all your anxiety.  And, enjoy your new home, your new student and your three year old.

Blessings to you and yours,

Julia Johnson