I can’t believe it’s got round to Christmas again already.
What a weird couple of years we’ve had, but here we are again.
Hopefully there’s a little more certainty about seeing our loved ones than there’s been over the last couple of years (not counting train strikes). But I’m not taking anything for granted because there are no guarantees – of anything.
That’s how life is.
No guarantee of Christmas going according to plan. No guarantee that home educating will go to plan. Equally no guarantee school would go to plan either, if you were using it.
So sometimes it’s just best if you stick with the smallest and nearest of times, make them as good and as enjoyable as you can. Then all these times pieced together will make a good and enjoyable life. And education!
Home education isn’t going to be enjoyable all the time. Or good all the time either. We’re none of us saints or robots, neither parents nor children. Or teachers come to that! Home educating has its stresses and upsets – inevitably – that’s what life’s like, that’s what human nature is like. Unpredictable.
So how an evenly mapped out and prescribed education like they attempt in the system could ever be guaranteed to work I have no idea.
The best plan I feel as you home educate is just to accept that unpredictability. Be flexible – it makes a big difference. Do what works at the time. Be open to the changing needs of your child. And let nature take care of the rest.
That works for Christmas and it works for home educating.
Take care of the small things and the small times.
And talking of nature, please be conscious of the needs of the planet as well as your children’s, for the small things you do towards easing the planet’s burden this Christmas will make a big difference, as do the small things you do for the kids.
Wishing you a very happy and love filled Christmas full of all the small things that make it so.
And thank you so much for reading this. Thank you to all who’ve shown support for my work over all the long years I’ve been doing it and through the small here and now times too. It has always been appreciated.
Ross Mountney's Notebook 
A great reminder Ross. I know that I was guilty, in those early days, of looking to map things out. I thought that was what we would need to do. I very quickly realised that learning does not have to look like that all. It was de-schooling myself that helped me to see what was possible. I have learnt so much on this journey and am a far more patient, tolerant person now, I am so very grateful for this possibility.
Thanks for sharing that interesting comment. I agree, I learnt so much about learning from home educating and, like you, had to de-school myself first!
Enjoy your Christmas and thanks again for being here throughout the year. x