Hey Reader,

Right about now, the end of the school year is within sight.

And it can’t come too early, right?

But then also: it definitely can, because we’re usually never as far along in the curriculum as we wanted to be by this point. 😅

So here’s the deal: if you're homeschooling your kids, and you're planning to end the school year when you finish whatever curriculum you’re using, please lean in a little closer…

...I would like to tell you why that is a terrible idea. 😆

I’ve been homeschooling for about 20 years. For the last decade, I’ve spent quite a lot of time talking to other homeschooling moms about what works and what doesn’t (especially homeschooling moms who have finished, because they are actual gold mines of wisdom. 👑)

And you know what never works? Finishing the school year when you finish the curriculum.

Know why? Because most of us don’t ever finish any curriculum.

So first: let’s set the record straight here: “not finishing your curriculum” isn’t the problem.

The curriculum wasn’t actually written to be finished.

Hear me out.

Think back on your own education. If you went to public school like I did, odds are good that you never…not once, not ever… completed an entire math book start to finish.

Or how about your high school history class? Same, right? You probably used a textbook, and each chapter had comprehension questions at the end of the chapter that you’d answer by scanning for keywords, whether you did the assigned reading or not.

(Theoretically speaking, of course.) (Ahem.)

The teacher assigned certain chapters, or even just portions of them. But you didn't read the entire textbook.

And that is good, actually, because it’s the job of the teacher to uncover ideas with their students, and good teachers use materials to do that, they aren’t ruled by their materials.

Now, let’s shift gears and think about this from the perspective of a curriculum creator.

Pretend you’re writing a 4th grade curriculum.

(This is how I imagine myself writing a 4th grade curriculum.)

You know that:

• Some fourth graders can’t spell very simple words reliably yet
• Other fourth graders can spell really well
• Some kids need practice with multiplication facts
• Others are bored with long division
• One fourth grader thinks Canada is its own continent
• Another can name all the major rivers of Germany

So the creator of any curriculum has to consider all the different things a fourth grader may or may not know, and account for all of that as they assemble their materials.

So what do they do?

Well... I happen to know a lot of these creators of curriculum, and here’s what they tell me:

They include something for everyone.

They do this because they want happy customers. And because they know every 4th grade is unique.

They want people to be happy with their purchase, and since the teacher’s role is to teach the student, not the book, they expect teachers to do what they've always done: pick and choose. Skip stuff. Fly through some parts and slow down at others.

👀 Still with me?

(Sneak a bite of that chocolate bunny in your child’s Easter basket, if you need -- I’m getting to the good part now.)

Every decent curriculum relies on the teacher to sort out what’s necessary for their unique students. And in this case, the teacher is you.

So let’s zoom back to your own school experience...

Your school didn’t begin the year by telling parents that the school year would finish when all the lessons were completed, right?

That would be… chaos. Also, the school year would never end.

Instead, they just… picked a day. And you can do that, too. In fact, I think you should, because it’s way easier to complete a race if you can see the finish line.

I mean.. I assume this is true. I don’t want to give you the impression that I’m like, running races, or anything.

(If I WAS running, though, I'm pretty sure I'd look like this.)

In my experience, picking a last day—regardless of how far we got in our curriculum—feels like breaking the rules. But it’s par for the course in almost every other educational environment.

So here’s what I propose: Instead of saying you’re going to end your school year when you’re finished with the curriculum...

...Pick a last day.

Right now.

Just look at the calendar and decide. Then write it in big fat letters: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

That's your finish line, so look at it every day.

Then get back to teaching your students, which is what you’re meant to be doing anyway. Teaching them, not teaching a book.

Not “getting through.” Not gritting your teeth and bearing it. Not hanging on for dear life until you’re all just too exhausted to keep going a single day more.

Remember this: God is not surprised by how far you got, or whether that lines up with your own expectations from the beginning of the school year.

He’s also not stressed by it.

So pick a last day. Teach the child in front of you. Let the God who loves you and your children more than you can even conceive be responsible for any necessary miracles.

I’m praying for you!

xo, Sarah Mackenzie

P.S. Feel free to forward this email to a friend who also needs to pick a last day.

And if a friend forwarded this to you...then you have a *really* good friend. ❤️ You can sign up right here to get these once-a-month letters in your own inbox!

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