when it seems like your words and or actions have been pointless.
When there are no numbers that add up to success,
When you have made SMART goals and you’ve fallen miserably short.
When you’re feeling discouraged, disappointed and disillusioned.
When you question the sense in ever pursuing this work.
A guest post by Kimberly Chase
If anyone was ever unqualified to homeschool their children it would be ME! I didn’t know how to be a mother (didn’t have one), I wasn’t particularly affectionate, and still wanted a mom myself! No college degree in teaching, not even a general studies or associates degree. Heck, I only made it through one year of college – a Bible college – where earned a stellar 1.9 GPA (I had an especially tough year…I was a solid B student in high school.)
On top of that I was battling severe marriage difficulties, chronic & severe depression, and we lived in poverty with one unreliable car (no co-ops or homeschool class options for us!) Oh, and one of my children was diagnosed with autism.
I was NOT qualified. I had no resources.
Recently, I’ve been thinking alot about how to prepare for my children for life beyond our home. I think of the struggles that I’ve had in getting comfortable in my own skin, and this journey of re-discovering who I really am. I’ve been told what to do, and how to do it. I was told to work extremely hard in high school. Get good grades. And go to college. That would assure me a “good job” . So I did. I took as many AP classes as possible. I worked my buns off in order to keep my GPA as close to perfection as possible.Continue Reading
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein
About 6 years ago I began pursuing my passion for creating art again. My love affair with art began when I was in sixth grade. The school I attended required every sixth grade student to take an art class. Our teacher was Mr. Gianforte, who was better known as Mr. G. With his instruction and inspiration, I discovered that I could actually draw and I enjoyed it! I wasn’t born with some amazing artist ability. My childhood drawings were like the typical kid. In fact, I didn’t think I could draw at all.
For me, art has always been very personal. I limited my artistic expression to sketches in my journal, which of course, were never good enough. I didn’t share my drawings with others because they never met the standard of excellence that I expected of myself.
Yet, I continued to draw simply for pleasure off and on through the years. I never even considered that someone else might actually enjoy my creative expressions, until one day I felt compelled to join my church’s art team. It was something I knew I had to do.
But I was terrified.Continue Reading