When Mama Teacher is Just Not Feeling It

Some days the kids are a little sluggish. Our relaxed homeschool style caters to that because they can just do their work curled up on the couch in a blanket. But as the teacher, my day is go-go-go no matter what. On top of school there are meals to prepare, housework to complete, dogs that need to go potty, etc.

I am a scheduled kind of girl so when we have our day planned we just go for it, checking those things off the list. I do not have to feel 100% to accomplish all I need to in one day.

But what if the mama teacher wakes up one day and thinks, "Nope. I just can't today."

I woke up feeling that way on Monday.

I had some coffee. That didn't help. In fact, it didn't even taste good. (Red alert!) I took a shower. Nope, that didn't perk me up, either. I just knew it was going to be one of those days.

Sometimes it's situational, sometimes it's hormonal, and sometimes there is absolutely no reason I can find. It just is.

So how do we handle a school day under those circumstances?

Well, we cut things down to the bare minimum. We complete our grammar page and math page (because they are non-negotiable), watch CNN Student News, read some books, and maybe play a game. Everything else can be made up on Freedom Friday (our day where we do extra activities, catch up on work, and kids do all delight-directed learning without any formal teaching by mom).

Sometimes we even pop in a movie. I try to keep some on hand that fit with what we are studying so we can, at least, feel like it's not just a free day activity.

And that's all we do.

Comfy clothes, couches, blankets, and popcorn. A full school day without much effort from this tired and overstimulated introvert of a mama teacher.

And hope that things will be better tomorrow.

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