Last week was one of those weeks.

We missed an entire class day. And the classes we did have? Almost half the students were absent in both groups.

So I had a choice.

I could push ahead with the lesson plan, cover new material, and stay “on track.” Aaand then spend the next two weeks trying to catch up the kids who missed it, while also trying to move forward with the kids who were there.

Or I could do something that felt a little counterintuitive.

I threw out the plan.

Instead of introducing anything new, I used that smaller group to go back. We practiced concepts we’d already learned and filled in gaps that had started to show. We caught up on missing homework and slowed way down and made sure the foundation was solid before adding anything else on top of it.

And honestly? It was great!

Life

Can I tell you something?

Those “off” days used to stress me out. A sick kid, a schedule conflict, or a week where nothing goes according to plan felt like falling behind. It felt like I was failing the kids who showed up and failing the kids who didn’t.

But after twelve years of teaching, I’ve learned something that I wish someone had told me on day one.

Homeschool + Math

The plan is a tool. Your child is the person.

When the two compete, the person wins every time.

A day where you pause the curriculum and go back to shore up something shaky isn’t a wasted day. It might be the most important day your child has all month! Because that gap you went back to fill? That’s the one that would have gotten wider and wider and eventually made everything harder down the road.

So if you’re in the middle of a week like mine, where half of what you planned fell apart and you’re wondering if any of it even counted…

It counted. ❤️

The kids who showed up last week got something they wouldn’t have gotten on a “normal” day. They got my full attention on the stuff that actually needed it. They got to ask questions without feeling rushed. They got time to practice instead of just absorb.

That’s not falling behind. That’s teaching.

Grace

I think God does some of His best work in the interruptions.

When the plan falls apart and we’re forced to slow down, that’s often where the real growth happens, in all of life; our kids, our teaching, and our faith.

Think about how many times in Scripture the interruption is where something important happens. The detour, the delay, and the plan that didn’t go the way anyone expected is just the way God was at work. He doing something we couldn’t see yet.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.’”

Isaiah 30:15 (ESV)

Notice what that second verse says. Strength doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from returning, resting, and trusting. Sometimes that looks like going back to what’s not completely solid yet instead of racing ahead, both in math and in life!

God’s never in a hurry. He’s never stressed about the schedule. And He is definitely not disappointed in you for the week that didn’t go to plan!

Maybe we can take a cue from that this week. ❤️

See you soon!

-Mrs. Holman

P.S. If your week got derailed and you’re feeling behind, try this: instead of pushing forward, pick one concept your child doesn’t have down cold yet and spend 20 minutes just practicing it together. Don’t worry about new material or pressure. Just focus on reinforcement. You might be surprised how much that one session shifts things!