Goodbye Preschool

Wow, it’s official. I will never teach preschool again.

Our youngest homeschooler is in Kindergarten this year and she’s enjoying every bit of it.

I literally had this thought when I woke up earlier this week. I’ve taught preschool five times and to think that I will never be teaching it again 😮. It’s a realization that I have no more babies but only big kids now.

At one point I didn’t ever want to see the time when all the kids were in grade school. I would tell time to slow down or take a week off so they wouldn’t grow up too fast.

As of now I am doing just fine with it. I am enjoying this stage of new independence and not having to be at their side every second throughout the day. My eldest kids step up to help take care of the younger and show me how much they are actually capable of (which is more than I ever realize).

It doesn’t take as much effort to go on outings because all of them can shower and get dressed on their own. Where I once was sad they didn’t need me as much for certain things I am now celebrating that I get to have more down time to rest. Things do run a lot smoother and less stressful when that baby/toddler stage has passed.

I am enjoying this hands off approach and allowing my kiddos to learn by experience which creates confidence.

It’s been really amazing watching my five year old advance so quickly. Having four older siblings has helped her learn quite a bit just by watching them. When you have an older sibling you’re always observing and trying to keep up.

When I was doing lessons with my now seven year old son, she would sit and listen and pick up on what I was teaching. It got to the point where she would ask

Mama, can I answer for him?

She was learning a grade before her time. This has caused some of her own work to be boring and too easy at times. She asks me to do more than one lesson a day as she is ready to keep moving and wants to be more challenged. At the rate she’s moving, she’ll end up graduating with her older brother 😄🤷🏽‍♀️.

I admit she makes my job pretty easy with how much she comprehends. Sometimes before I’m done reading the instructions she’s already starting the activity. She’ll then say

Oh Mama, I got it now. I don’t need any more help.

😳🥹

I do however have talks with her about the importance of listening. Even though she may already know what to do it’s still good to hear the instructions completely to be sure. There are times she failed to listen to me carefully and did something wrong because she was so sure of herself. I love encouraging self learning but following directions is also a good skill to have too.

We got her these pencil grippers which have been great writing aids. They are training her to hold the pencil correctly at all times.

She is our only left handed student and it’s been a bit challenging for me to teach her how to hold it properly. These do the job well as she is already holding her pencil much better without the gripper. It’s so funny because these little assistants look like tiny gas masks to me. Do you see it? 😁

Homeschooling has really been a blessing for our family. I am able to assess the needs of our children because I am with them daily and able to pay close attention. I’m so grateful for the helpful tools we have available to us to help them learn and excel as smoothly as possible.

It is with great joy and happiness that I can say…

Goodbye Preschool 👋🏽.